Jan. 18, 2021 9:00p
(WGTD)---How would've Martin Luther King, Jr. reacted to the racial turmoil in Kenosha this summer?
"I believe he would've repeated some of his quotes from some of his renowned speeches," said Zina Haywood, Executive Vice President/Provost of Gateway Technical College. Haywood on Monday led the school's annual MLK celebration.
The event's three-word theme--"Response, Resiliency and Restoration"--spoke directly to a call for change from many in Kenosha, including Mayor Antaramian.
Haywood ended Monday's observance with a few pertinent passages from King's speeches.
"If you can't fly then run. If you can't run then walk. If you can't walk then crawl but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."
And...
"Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."
And..
"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle."
From a letter written in a Birmingham jail cell, "Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities and in some not too distant tomorrow, their radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty."
The featured speaker was Tammi Summers, Vice President, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Gateway.
She reinforced the call for citizens to get involved in the drive to promote harmony, change and equity. "Every day we wait and don't have these discussions, we are not creating the harmonious community we deserve," she said.
Because of the pandemic, Monday's ceremony was video-streamed from the Conference Center on the Kenosha campus without the usual live audience.
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