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2010 Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration
By UCB student Jazmin Lopez, CALIFORNIA NETWORK® intern for pittsburgca.net.
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 It was a joyous celebration as family, friends, students, and city officials from different race and ethnicities, united as one to celebrate and commemorate a man who is truly to be recognized and remembered for making this world a better place, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Monday January 18th the front of the Pittsburg Civic Center was filled with smiling faces as people awaited the commencement of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s celebration.
The celebration began with spoken words from Rev. Greg Osorio, member of the Souljahs. Souljahs are about helping oppressed people everywhere", he states."We are Brothers and Sisters concerned about the underclass of America, about the struggle and about the change. Souljahs' vision is to bring people together for a common goal - Improve relations among each other” said Osorio. Souljahs along with the Pittsburg Unified School district are responsible for making this event possible.
Those in attendance also included guest speakers Mayor Sal Evola, Council Members Nancy Parent and Ben Johnson, and PUSD Board Member Vince Ferrante who expressed their thoughts about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy.
Despite the heavy rain, people carried on with the celebration. The crowd was lead by a handmade banner that read “DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR, WE LOVE YOU”, and signs participants had created that read “UNITY”, flyers that featured Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous picture and the words, “A dream in motion” and banners from various organizations that were in attendance such as East Bay National Society of Black Engineers Jr. Pre-College Initiative and NAACP Youth Council East County Branch.
Marching down through Civic Avenue and down Railroad Avenue and turning onto School Street the crowd was a sight to see.
The march ended at the steps of the Pittsburg High School Creative Arts Building, where the program and celebration carried on.
The program and celebration began with the singing of the Black National Anthem. Followed by, the presentation of the Redemption Award given to an individual who has gone above and beyond and represents qualities that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would acknowledge. The award was given to Mike Glad, from Midas Mufflers. He was able to bring change into his work by becoming involved in an issue that he was not required to intervene but he went on to do so. Greg Osorio described Mr. Glad as a “giving man” and the outcome of the issues he resolved was “beautiful”.
The program continued with youth performance that included Mime Praise Dancers from Solomon Temple, Kids N Motion who performed traditional African dances, Praise Dancers from First Baptist Church, Singers such as the Crockett Sisters, and special appearance by Michael Jackson, portrayed by Gerald Glasper, a local musician.
The program also acknowledged the winners from the “Spoken Word” competition that took place Friday, January 15.
The winners for the Elementary School division were Mary Alexander’s 3rd grade class from Marina Vista Elementary and a 5th grade student from Los Medanos Elementary who both sang a song about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The winners for the Middle School division were Mya Araya and Ivy Hughs 6th graders from Rancho Medanos Middle School who gave a well articulated speech about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
The winners for the High School division were Favour Pankito an 11th grader from PHS as the runner up and Anna Siino-Lujano a 12th grader from PHS as the winner, who wrote amazing poems about what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy meant to them.
All the winners received a cash prize and trophy.
The Celebration concluded with all the performers taking the stage and singing Happy Birthday to no other than Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
This was truly a heartwarming celebration, as everyone came together, laughed and smiled.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream and legacy lives on. |
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