More than 150 attend King celebration

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Milton Reed Jr. holds a microphone for minister Tony Butler as Butler sings during “The Mountain Top — Remember, Celebrate, Act” event honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the East Chicago Public Library. | Charles Mitchell~For Sun-Times Media

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Events celebrating and honoring the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. abounded in the Calumet region during this, his birthday week.

And the East Chicago Public Library, in conjunction with the I Too Sing America Organization, did its part by welcoming more than 150 people to a morning event, “The Mountain Top — Remember, Celebrate, Act.”

“I have at least five talks I will be going to this week, and my church is doing something special, too,” said audience member Mary Jackson of Gary, as she waited for the program at the library to begin. “Rev. King deserves all the praise people are raining on him — he was a special, special man who made an enormous impact on society.”

Before the program began, visitors had the opportunity to peruse an exhibit set up in the library’s Templeton Gallery.

Pictures of King in front of massive crowds, as well as photos of him in personal moments, could be found on the walls. A Communion table, reminiscent of one used in King’s church, was prominently displayed alongside a mannequin situated behind a church podium, dressed in a church robe, similar to one King would have worn as he preached his services.

Jaleecia Holden, 16, of Zion Baptist Church in East Chicago, was scheduled to perform a praise-dance number during the presentation.

Before she was due to take the stage, the teenager took time to look through the gallery.

“I’m honored to part of this program, Dr. King was a great man,” she said. “He influenced so many people in so many ways.”

During the celebration, Makeda Winfield of Tabernacle Baptist Church read a poem she wrote for the occasion, and musical selections were sung by minister Tony Butler of Friendship Baptist Church.

Mable Gordon, 75, also was in the audience.

“So many people know of the great things Dr. King did, but they aren’t living according to his plan,” the East Chicago resident said. “People need to learn to get along peacefully — we aren’t all there yet.”

Indeed, that was the message from keynote speaker the Rev. Brandon Jacobs of New Zion Temple Church in Hammond.

“Let’s not just talk about what Dr. King did — let’s be about it,” he told the crowd. “We have seen the vision of the land, but we have yet to fulfill the promise of what makes us free.”

Library public relations director Cheryl Smith echoed those thoughts as she closed the program by commenting on King’s “We Shall Overcome” philosophy.

“We shall overcome when we learn to love our neighbors as ourselves,” she said. “We’ve heard what Dr. King has said, now we have to put into action his vision and dreams in our daily lives.”