“I have a dream too,” Dorothy Isaac said about this year’s celebration honoring Martin Luther King Jr. Isaac serves as chairwoman of the 2002 MLK local events. Isaac hopes that everybody in the Starkville area will find at least one event they can attend to pay tribute to MLK on this year’s holiday. She extends a special invitation to the elected officials and supervisors of Starkville since Isaac believes they will set examples for the whole community to attend. The theme this year: Is it a memory to cherish, a lesson to learn, a dream to live or a hope to fulfill? Events begin Saturday with a Gospel Song Festival at 7 p.m. The festival will take place at 314 Yates Street. On Sunday, the guest speaker Rev. Leon Collier will be conducting a Memorial Service for King at 7:30 p.m. at Second Baptist Church. On Monday, Jan. 21 the annual King Memorial Breakfast will be held at the Bost Extention Center, Mississippi State University. Also on Monday the annual MLK Jr. parade will line up to march at 2 p.m. The parade will go through Jefferson Street onto Main Street where a commemorative program will be held at the courthouse.
“We have events for all ages; there’s something for everyone,” Isaac said. “We need a way we can come and socialize together in the community and pay our respects to MLK Jr.”
Isaac says although these are all annual events, I think the singers, guest speakers and other activities will put a new perspective on the holiday. This year Interim President Charles Lee along with other student leaders will be present at the MSU breakfast. The MSU Black Voices Gospel Choir will be part of the program as well. MSU like other public institutions in the state will be closed for the holiday.
Isaac says she along with others are working on having a banquet to add to next year’s festivities.
“I hope it’s truly a relational bond- I like for folks to communicate,” Isaac says. “I really hope our college students will join in the activities so we can let them know how much our community cares about them.”
For questions or more information on this weekend’s activities, call Isaac at 323-1835.