Thanks to all for support
of MLK Day Celebration
On behalf of the Community Coalition for Social Justice, I want to thank everyone who made our 14th Annual Martin Luther King Jr., Day Celebration a success on Jan. 20.
We thank our co-sponsor Main Street Morgantown, especially Barb Watkins, and the city of Morgantown and Rachel Wood of Virtus Wealth Solutions for financial support. We also thank The Dominion Post for publicizing the event in advance and, especially, Jim Bissett and Ron Rittenhouse for the wonderful post-event story.
Joe Kaehler and the staff at the Metropolitan Theatre provided invaluable assistance. Doug Wiley, Cindy O’Brien and Mike Attfield provided music in the lobby as guests arrived. Stephenie Woodall provided ASL interpretation at our event.
About 300 people, including 60 participants, attended to learn about “Courage to be Free” during the Civil Rights Movement. Morgantown Mayor Bill Kawecki welcomed everyone, and Sheila Rye gave a brief history of CCSJ as we celebrated our 20th anniversary in December.
Performers included the Cheat Lake Elementary School Choir led by Jennifer Connoley, and Al Anderson and Friends, including Al Anderson, Nettie Carpenter, Donna Weems, Sarah Little, John Garlow, Robin Jones, Barbara Slaughter, Debbie Springer, Amber Gains and Butch Galusky.
Jeremy Thomas read a story about Frederick Douglass. Dorothy Wilson of the Morgantown/Kingwood Branch of the NAACP introduced Olivia Tuel and Demarcus Bandy to read the essays they submitted to the NAACP Civil Rights Essay Competition.
We were glad to welcome Ilene Evans to portray Harriet Tubman, the “conductor” of the Underground Railroad. Her presentation was sponsored by the History Alive! Program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.
The Morgantown Human Rights Commission and the League of Women Voters of Morgantown-Monongalia had information tables in the lobby. We thank St. Francis de Sales Catholic School students, who made posters to display at downtown and Wharf District businesses, and their teacher Nora Sheets.
And, finally, thanks to all the adults who helped the children participate. We cannot include children in this program without adults willing to provide transportation and support.
Barb Howe
Community Coalition for Social Justice
Morgantown
