Feb. 4, 2020
The city of Lakewood extends its thanks to the community for joining together to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to kick off February as Black History Month on Feb. 1 at the city’s 17th annual MLK Celebration.
The morning kicked off with remarks by Deputy Mayor Jason Whalen who welcomed the crowd, followed by U.S. Congressman Denny Heck and Clover Park School District Superintendent Ron Banner.
Curits Rice sang the Black National Anthem and was followed by Emmy-nominated spoken word poet Christian Paige who performed his piece “The Eyes of Your Enemy”.
The Idlewild Elementary School Choir gave a compelling performance, as did singer and pianist Vala Borgelt.
Keynote Speaker Shalom Aburu then took the stage to share her experience of moving to American from Uganda and what it was like to transition from an inclusive culture into one of individualists with segregation of race and class. She urged everyone to be part of the solution to ending inequality, racism and division in our country and for young people to find a support system and community to help them connect with others.
Other performances from the day included the Clover Park High School Choir, young dancers from the YMCA, the Harrison Preparatory School Ensemble and student poetry readings.
The event concluded with the recognition of the winners of the MLK Essay Contest, who received gift certificates courtesy of the Lakewood Multicultural Coalition, presented by LMCC President and CEO Mary Moss who is also a Lakewood City Councilwoman.
To see a full photo album from the event visit the city’s Facebook page.