Celebrating MLK

The sanctuary at St. Paul AME Church was filled with song and applause for most of the afternoon on Sunday as people gathered to celebrate the life and dream of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the community leaders who keep his legacy alive. There were also moments when the crowd was hushed by sadness as they remembered Columbia leaders who died in the past year. The 35th annual celebration of King’s birthday, hosted by the Martin Luther King Memorial Association, took place nearly two weeks after the official holiday because of bad weather, but turnout was still good. Half of the church’s wooden pews were filled with people.

Some of those people, including University of Missouri System President Elson Floyd and MU Chancellor Brady Deaton, were invited to the podium to give a speech despite the fact that neither were listed in the program or scheduled to speak.

“One of the things in the African-American community is you have to be great instant speakers,” master of ceremonies Arvarh Strickland said to laughter from the crowd. Strickland was the first African-American professor at MU.

Floyd graciously accepted the invitation and spoke briefly about King. He thanked the community for all their support during his time as president. “I do leave with clearly the hope, the vision, and the passion that this is simply a beautiful community, and I have been very privileged to be a part of it,” he said.

Deaton followed Floyd by thanking the UM president for the opportunity to serve as chancellor and reflected on King’s life and achievements.

“I must say, I’m moved to tears each year when I hear that mountaintop speech or any of the other speeches Dr. Martin Luther King gave,” Deaton said.

The program was energized by the girls in the Anointed to Praise youth dance group, who danced down the aisles in purple and black spandex outfits. Within minutes the crowd was clapping along.

Later, Martin Luther King Awards were presented by the Martin Luther King Memorial Association for outstanding service within the community.

Floyd received an award as did Paul Pepper. Pepper hosts “Pepper and Friends” on KOMU. He was recognized for his role in giving members of the community a voice.

After the presentation of awards, a special song was sung in tribute to Mary Jane Davis, who worked as the director of Nora Stewart Memorial Nursery and played the piano for more than 50 years at the church. Many were moved to tears as they remembered her.

To close the program, the crowd joined hands around the pews and sang “The Negro National Anthem” and “We Shall Overcome.”