AUBURN - Peace and unity were the dominant themes at the Booker T. Washington Community Center in Auburn Saturday.
As people filed into the center's gymnasium for its annual Martin Luther King Jr. brunch, a large hand-lettered sign bearing the words “Peace” and “Unity” stretched across one wall. Beneath the words, hand symbols representing the two themes were also drawn.
“The center has been holding this brunch since 1976,” said Merritt Fletcher, an active community center volunteer who was responsible for organizing the affair.
“This (brunch) is all about remembering the past, and using what we've learned to influence the future,” Fletcher said as he stood before a stove in the center's kitchen, cooking an enormous omelet.
“We can't do that without recognizing the people who have helped us get to where we're going, and Martin Luther King was one of those premier people.”
The brunch, which is held annually on the Saturday nearest King's Jan. 15th birthday, featured a program that included prayer, song, and the presentation of awards and accolades, among other things.
The ceremony began with the announcement of the winners of a coloring contest in which local students used crayons to decorate an image of King as he delivered his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Those awards were followed by the singing of songs such as “Lift Every Voice” and “We Shall Overcome” and the presentation by children of what exactly Martin Luther King Day means to them.
After the program was completed, people dined on omelets, pastries, and other assorted breakfast foods.
“(King) was a wonderful person who broke the ice for a lot of us,” said Leslie Walker, of Auburn, one of several dozen people attending the brunch.
Walker was lucky enough, she said, to actually be present at King's famous speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963.
“Since I was only 12 years old at the time, I didn't really fully understand what I was witnessing,” she recalled. “Now that I'm older, I get it,” she said, adding that the “dreams” King had that day are beginning to become realities.
“We still have a long way to go, but (our society) is off to a good start.”
“The center has been holding this brunch since 1976,” said Merritt Fletcher, an active community center volunteer who was responsible for organizing the affair.
“This (brunch) is all about remembering the past, and using what we've learned to influence the future,” Fletcher said as he stood before a stove in the center's kitchen, cooking an enormous omelet.
“We can't do that without recognizing the people who have helped us get to where we're going, and Martin Luther King was one of those premier people.”
The brunch, which is held annually on the Saturday nearest King's Jan. 15th birthday, featured a program that included prayer, song, and the presentation of awards and accolades, among other things.
The ceremony began with the announcement of the winners of a coloring contest in which local students used crayons to decorate an image of King as he delivered his infamous “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Those awards were followed by the singing of songs such as “Lift Every Voice” and “We Shall Overcome” and the presentation by children of what exactly Martin Luther King Day means to them.
After the program was completed, people dined on omelets, pastries, and other assorted breakfast foods.
“(King) was a wonderful person who broke the ice for a lot of us,” said Leslie Walker, of Auburn, one of several dozen people attending the brunch.
Walker was lucky enough, she said, to actually be present at King's famous speech in Washington, D.C. in 1963.
“Since I was only 12 years old at the time, I didn't really fully understand what I was witnessing,” she recalled. “Now that I'm older, I get it,” she said, adding that the “dreams” King had that day are beginning to become realities.
“We still have a long way to go, but (our society) is off to a good start.”
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