Though many students see Martin Luther King Jr. Day as simply a day off from school, it is much more than that. When visiting the Charles F. Dodge City Center in Pembroke Pines, residents would have found a reverend’s beautiful speech, young kids reading poetry, thriving arts performances, the color guard, and a special performance from the “Voices of Liberty.” On Jan. 20, the city of Pembroke Pines came together for a day of honoring diversity and Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
At the start of the celebration of King, Norman Hemming, who has worked for the FBI and is currently serving on the diversity committee for Broward County Schools, gave a wonderful speech. He expressed that while King is now respected for his work in the Civil Rights Movement, he died because of it as he faced hate and oppression from thousands of Americans during his life.
“They saw him as a monster,” Hemming says, explaining that people who didn’t want change chose to ruin King’s movement rather than embrace it.
Hemming also spoke about August 1619, the arrival of enslaved African Americans in Virginia, where slaves were traded for food and supplies. The period, known as the “Great Dying” or “The Fallacy of 1619”, brought Europeans with diseases such as smallpox, the flu, whooping cough, chickenpox, etc. The population was then reduced to 95%.
“Six to seven million made it… unfortunately, up to 2 million did not survive.” Hemming says, noting the horrible nature of the times enslaved African Americans lived in, where they were considered and used as assets.
With all the tragedies and hardships that the world continues to experience, it is important to bring peace, progress, and prosperity to America because this is what we are supposed to strive for. Monday, January 20th, 2025 is a reminder that we are all seen as one, and the importance of “Raising our voices even when we don’t want to”, a line from a student-written poem recited at the event.
Brave young readers all stood up and shared the message that Martin Luther King Jr. wanted to spread around the world: live in hope and equality. Because of this, MLK day reminds everyone that the U.S. should be united and work together, unlike its current divided state.
Also at the event were thriving arts performances and the color guard, as well as some outstanding performances from students that brought energy matching the vibrant music. After soulful performances from elementary school students, the Color Guard uplifted the crowd, followed by lively arts performances. However, the event would have benefitted from giving performers a stage so that attendees could see the greatness of the community’s youth.
The main event of MLK day was the Voices of Liberty. There are not enough words to describe how out of this world they were. Performing for about 15 minutes, the crowd followed along excitedly, clapping to their melodies and singing inspirational songs like “We Shall Overcome”, or “I Am Not Forgotten”. Voices of Liberty, which had years of experience under their belt, were phenomenal, as expected.
With the inauguration of President Trump being on the same day and supporters celebrating, almost half of the country voted for Democrat Kamala Harris. During a time of division, Americans cannot forget that they are all in this together. Throughout his life, Martin Luther King Jr. fought for a united and equal United States, proving why the community celebrates such a pivotal figure in American history.
This event was a perfect way to showcase his beliefs and the need for equality in the U.S. Between poetry readings, music, dance, and more, the city of Pembroke Pines came together to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
