Tag Archives: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Snapshots: Things to do this week and MLK Day

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



Still Spreading Joy

The City of Holland recently announced that it would keep its holiday lights up through March, extending the cheer through the winter months. The lights are up through downtown Holland so that walkers and runners have the opportunity to enjoy them.

Build It and They Feel Welcomed

The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park hosted a soft opening this week for its new entranceway. Those who visit the Gardens will now enter through the new Welcome Center, which is comprised of two levels, the Main Level and the lower Courtyard Level. The Main Level features the new entryway, Ram’s Garden, ticketing center and expanded coat room, restrooms, and mobility center as well as other features. The library, archives, indoor eating area and the new Mimi’s Garden are located in the Courtyard Level.

Remembering a Leader

On Monday, Jan. 18, the nation will celebrate the life and contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Locally, two organizations, Grand Valley State University and the Muskegon Museum of Art, will be hosting virtual events. At 6:30 p.m. Jan. 18, GVSU will host a Zoom webinar with White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor who will discuss the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. On Jan. 18, the Muskegon Museum of Art will offer an online art activity, film list for adults and an African-American art highlight as part of its Virtual MLK Day Celebration. As its 2021 MLK Community Service project, the City of Kentwood is collecting food and nonperishable items for its Little Free Pantry. Items can be dropped off at several locations such as Kentwood City Hall, KDL Kentwood Branch, and the Kentwood Activities Center.

Godwin Heights High School’s girls basketball team in action against Wyoming Tri-unity Christian on Jan. 7, 2020. (WKTV)

The Blizzard and Basketball

While we wait for the high school basketball season to start, how about a history lesson? Recently Google honored James Naismith, the man who invented basketball. According to the only surviving recording of Naismith, the idea for the game came about when he was a physical education teacher for what is now Springfield College in Massachusetts. After a blizzard had covered the area eliminating outdoor activities, Naismith said he was looking for a way to help the students burn off some excess energy. One day, after practice, he came up with the idea of nailing two peach baskets to the opposite ends of the gym, dividing the students into two teams of nine, and told them the object was to get the ball into the other team’s basket. This was the start of one of the U.S.’s most popular winter games.

Kentwood community celebrates MLK day with food drive, special program

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

Celebrating the words and actions of Martin Luther King Jr, Kentwood residents and city leaders recently came together to mark the day with a special program at the KDL Kentwood branch.

 

Activities included a proclamation from Mayor Stephen Kepley who was assisted by honor students from East Kentwood High School with the reading. The guest speaker was Kyle Ray, pastor of Kentwood Community Church, with music by Craig Tyson.

 

“I always want the City of Kentwood, being so diverse, to use this day to remember the things that Martin Luther King Jr. taught us,” said Mayor Stephen Kepley after yesterday’s program. Kepley said it is not just about King’s words but also his service. “This is a day of service. We wanted to actually but our words into action because, I think, words without works is dead. So we wanted to have the works –the service — and we have used this day and other previous Martin Luther King Jr. days to provide food for those in need. We wanted not only to sponsor our little free food pantry but also the food pantries of West Michigan.”

 

Last year, the city officially launched its little free food pantry, where you take an item or items when needed and leave an item or items when you can. As part of this year’s activities, the city hosted a food drive for the little free pantry at Celebration! Cinema South and the Family Fare located on Kalamazoo Avenue. According to city staff, the little free pantry has been very well received.

 

“I have heard stories of people who were in need a year ago and things got better, and now, instead of taking food that they need, actually are supporting the food pantry,” Kepley said. “They have done a 360. There was a need for them and now things are better off. They got a better job, some income coming in, and are bringing food to the little food pantry.”

 

Because the Kentwood Activities Center is being remodeled, the little free food pantry has currently been moved to the KDL Kentwood Branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE. Staff has noted that the temporary location has been as busy as the Kentwood Activities Center one.

 

“It has been so successful we are actually looking to have a second location here at the library,” Kepley said, adding that the city then would have two little food pantries, one at the Kentwood Activities Center and one at the KDL Kentwood branch.

 

Food donations are accepted year around for the pantry. Donations are accepted at the Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, during normal business hours, currently at the KDL Kentwood Branch, and once the Kentwood Activities Center reopens in March, donations will be accepted there as well.

Food drive part of this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. activities in Kentwood

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By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

The Little Free Pantry, usually located at the Kentwood Activities Center, has been well received since first being introduced last year.

 

In fact, according to Kentwood Parks and Recreation Coordinator Laura Barbrick, it has been so popular that at times it has been a little tough keeping it stocked.

 

So as part of this year’s Kentwood Martin Luther King Jr. event, the city will be hosting a food drive to help stock the Little Free Pantry. The food drive is set to run from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at Family Fare, 6127 Kalamazoo Ave. SE and from 10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at Celebration Cinema South, 1506 Eastport Dr. SE.

 

The Little Food Pantry is located in the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE.

Started in Arkansas with the motto “Neighbors serving neighbors,” the Little Free Pantry is similar to the little free library movement. The pantries are designed to be small and fill an immediate and local need. Basically, take an item or items when needed and leave an item or items when you can.

 

Kentwood introduced the Little Free Pantry at the 2017 Martin Luther King Jr. event. It’s official home is at the Kentwood Activities Center, however; while the center is being remodeled, the pantry has been moved to the KDL Kentwood (Richard L. Root) branch, 4950 Breton Ave. SE.

 

“We have a number of families that utilize the pantry on a regular basis,” Barbrick said. “We are definitely getting more donations now that it is at the library, but we anticipate the need will continue once it moves back to the Activities Center.”

 

Donations are accepted at the Kentwood City Hall, 4900 Breton Ave. SE, during normal business hours, and once the center reopens in March, donations will be accepted there as well.

 

The city will end Jan. 15  with a program honoring Dr. King. That program will be at 4:30 p.m. at the library. There will be a proclamation from Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley, a presentation by Kyle Ray, pastor of Kentwood Community Church, music by Craig Tyson, and refreshments provided by The Candied Yam.

 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King’s birthday, January 15. Campaigns for the day honoring King, who was assassinated in 1968, began soon after his death. Former President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

School News Network: ‘It Takes All of Us to Make This Work’

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Byron Garrett speaks with East Kentwood High School teacher Janelle Miles. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)

By Erin Albanese

School News Network

 

It was the first day of school during Byron Garrett’s second year as principal when he met a kindergartner who spoke no English.

 

Garrettt spoke no Spanish. He had no way to tell her how to get to the playground, to the bathroom, ask if she ate breakfast or had her school supplies. He remembers feeling unprepared, looking at the girl and thinking, “You didn’t come with any instructions. You’re standing right in front of me, though.”

 

On the playground, the girl fell down. “She stood up, started crying and immediately reached out,” Garrett recalled. “I instantly thought, ‘Oh, that’s right. You’re human just like me. You’re a little human, but that’s OK.’

 

“So I picked her up.”

 

Brookwood Elementary School Principal Lorenzo Bradshaw, Shirley Johnson, assistant superintendent of student services, and Byron Garrett meet after the in-service session. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)

During a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day multicultural in-service program, Garrett spoke about the need for educators to connect with students and their families in ways that tap into community and culture, in a society where technology is a huge part of everyday life and old systems need to be constantly modified.

 

He spoke of helping students feel confident and empowered, and to aim for high achievement.

 

Garrett is author of several books, including “The ABCs of Life,” a blogger for the Huffington Post, and chairman of the National Family Engagement Alliance, a nonprofit aimed at student success. He led the session in front of 1,200 district teachers, administrators and support staff.

 

“You cannot teach who you do not know… so you should know your community and where they live,” said Garrett, of the Washington, D.C. area.

 

He complimented Kentwood as one of the few districts he’s spoken to where all staff attended his session. That way, everyone hears the same message, he said: “It takes all of us to make this work.”

 

Kentwood Public Schools includes students from nearly 80 countries and who speak 61 languages, said Superintendent Michael Zoerhoff. It hosts professional development based on diversity every year for the King holiday.

 

Byron Garret speaks with Kentwood staff about engaging with students. (Photo courtesy of School News Network.)

“Let’s continue our work of showing a world where people of all races, creeds and religions and whatever they throw at us will continue to strive for excellence and achieve that excellence,” Zoerhoff said to his staff.

 

“I wish that anyone who’s struggling would watch us. I believe we will become even more of a beacon of light for those who don’t feel like they have a place where they can go and feel accepted.”

 

Fulfilling King’s Mission

A native of North Carolina, Garrett can rattle off the names of teachers who connected with him in unforgettable ways: fourth-grade teacher Connie Martin, fifth-grade teacher Candace Hayes and sixth-grade teacher Barbara Twitty. “The three of them really helped shape foundationally how I would navigate life in the school system moving forward.”

 

Garrett told the group that educators are living King’s message of serving others by shaping the lives and views of young citizens.

“(King) fundamentally believed and contended that education is an equal right amongst all and it’s also the great equalizer, the one common denominator if we all have the same quantity, the same context, the same experience and the same environment.”

 

But he cautioned, “It doesn’t mean everything is equal right now, because it’s not.”

 

Garrett travels all over the nation to speak, experiencing a great cross-section of the population. Pushing for equity in education in a divided country is a challenge, he said.

 

“I am eternally optimistic and hopeful as I encounter folks in the education space who realize they are not waiting for some magical answer or solution. Never have they waited for a magical solution to emanate from the nation’s capital or the state house, but instead they’ve stayed focused.”

 

Still, there’s a different undercurrent and divisiveness that exists right now, he said.

 

“For too long we’ve ignored some realities that have existed,” he asserted. “Now we have no choice but to confront them head-on. We can’t do that with a spirit of hate. We can only do that as Dr. King said and admonishes us, with a spirit of love.”

 

In honoring Martin Luther King Jr., Kentwood launches the Little Free Pantry program

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The Little Free Pantry is located in the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

joanne@wktv.org

 

This year, for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the city of Kentwood decided to honor the civil rights leader by partnering with The Pantry and opening a “little free pantry” where people can take or leave food and household supplies.

 

“This is the one day of the year I believe represents Kentwood,” said Mayor Stephen Kepley to an audience at the KDL Kentwood Library where the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. program took place on Monday.

 

“Because of what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for, who he was, what he said and what he did, his actions helped to make the city what it is today. Kentwood is one of the most diverse and international cities in the state.”

 

With a population of more than 50,000, the city has approximately 60 different cultures speaking more than 70 different languages. According to Kepley, this diversity probably would never have happened without King’s vision of people “…one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but the content of their character.”

 

Kepley said King taught people to “love their neighbors as yourself…Because how can you hate them if you love them?”

 

Noting that King was not a man of just words but actions, Kentwood leaders decided to follow King’s actions by partnering with The Pantry, located at John Knox Presbyterian Church, for the community’s first Little Free Pantry.

 

Staff work to fill the Little Free Pantry

Started in Arkansas with the motto “Neighbors serving neighbors,” the Little Free Pantry is similar to the little free library movement. The pantries are designed to be small and fill an immediate and local need. Basically, take an item or items when needed and leave an item or items when you can.

 

“It’s residents helping residents, neighbors helping neighbors,” said community leader Jessica Ann Tyson, who was the host at Monday’s event. “If you are going to the store and you are picking up some macaroni and cheese, pick up an extra one for the pantry.”

 

Tyson said there is a need within the city as 9.8 percent of the families in Kentwood live below the poverty line. For a family of four, the poverty line is $24,300. For an individual, it is $11,880 or less.  Other figures Tyson had was that 14.6 of the Kentwood population live under the poverty line, including .6.8 percent are under the age of 18 and 7.6 percent are over the age of 65. Tyson also noted that there are about 5,000 food assistance cases in Kentwood.

 

She said the Little Food Pantry is anonymous, with people not required to fill out an application to receive items.

 

Located inside the Kentwood Activities Center, the Free Little Pantry is open year around. Donations of food items such as brown rice, cereals, canned goods, pasta, and peanut butter, and personal care items, such as deodorant, disposable razors, laundry soap, shampoo, toilet paper, can be dropped off at the Kentwood Activities Center, 355 48th St. SE, or to The Pantry, 4150 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. Other items accepted are crayons, small toys, games and school supplies.

 

The Free Little Pantry is open during the Kentwood Activities Center regular hours. For more information about the Little Free Pantry, call the Kentwood Activities Center at 616-656-5270.

National speakers highlight GVSU’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. week

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Kevin Powell, author and president of BK Nation

By Michele Coffill

Grand Valley State University

 

Two nationally known speakers will highlight Grand Valley State University’s commemoration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 

Kevin Powell is an activist, author and president of BK Nation, a national organization based in New York City centered on grassroots activism, pop culture, technology, and social media to spark projects and campaigns. He has written 12 books, the most recent is “The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood.”

 

Powell will be the keynote speaker on Monday, Jan. 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the Fieldhouse Arena on the Allendale Campus.

 

Kimberlé Crenshaw is a professor of law at UCLA and Columbia law schools. She coined two terms — critical race theory and intersectionality — that have proved foundational in many areas of study. She is a leading voice in calling for a gender-inclusive approach to racial justice interventions, having spearheaded the Why We Can’t Wait Campaign and co-authored “Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected,” and “Say Her Name: Resisting Police Brutality Against Black Women.”

 

Crenshaw will be the keynote speaker on Wednesday, Jan. 18, at 4:30 p.m. in the Kirkhof Center, Grand River Room, Allendale Campus. This presentation will be simulcast to an audience in the DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium, on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus. 

 

Both events are free and open to the public.

 

Many free events are planned on the Allendale Campus for Jan. 16, which marks the fifth year that classes have been canceled on the national King holiday, allowing more students, faculty and staff members to participate in events. Visit www.gvsu.edu/mlk for details.

 

Commemoration events continue Tuesday, Jan. 17, when the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies will host “Race and the American Dream” at 7 p.m. in the Eberhard Center. Nikole Hannah-Jones, staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, will join Jason Riley, columnist and editorial board member at the Wall Street Journal, for a dialogue on the progress that has been made since the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the challenges that continue to exist. It is free and open to the public; RSVP online at www.hauensteincenter.org/RSVP.

 

Grand Valley will close its week of events on Saturday, Jan. 21, when hundreds of students will volunteer their time in the community by working at different locations.

Citizen Journalist Eyes on MLK Jr. Celebration

Citizen Journalism, Local Faces, Non-Profits, Our Cities, , , ,

brett_wiesenauerThe Kentwood library held a celebration of the life and teachings of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the community room, consisting of readings from lead organizer Jessica Ann Tyson and Mayor Stephen Kepley, a fact-filled PowerPoint, a powerful and moving musical solo, and food and drink for guests. This celebration was an inaugural event in Kentwood’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day plans, in the works for now two years.

 

Lead organizer Jessica Ann Tyson led the proceedings, initially admitting she neither knew the late Rev. King or had actually participated in his rallies or demonstrations, but she was determined to keep his ideals alive through the celebration and remembrance of the iconic civil rights leader.

 

After the introduction came a presentation by the Kentwood ARCH program, the program helmed by Kentwood Public Schools in an effort to aid disadvantaged youth in the bottom 30% of the schools. ARCH stands for academics, recreation, community and health, and it allows students to focus on excelling in the classroom by connecting learning to their everyday lives. Later on, Mrs. Tyson gave out awards to student essayists and artists alike who made contributions to the celebration proceedings. It was a great choice to get the younglings involved in the celebration proceedings, so as to spur on their talents and imaginations with the universal topics Dr. King’s work can provoke.

 

Mayor Stephen Kepley spoke on how influential the Rev. Dr.’s I have a Dream speech was on his perspective and life choices. A Proclamation was performed by various personnel from around the area of varying ages, cultures, and viewpoints, all in the name of simultaneous equality and diversity.

 

Craig Tyson performed a song for the guests that was most effective. All present truly felt the emotion of his musical plea for leadership. Tears welled, guests cheered, and this here reporter cannot deny the passionate power of his simple musical interlude.

 

Passion is a powerful thing; ’tis something that can inspire, unite, employ the emotions of your surroundings to further a cause, and all present at the MLK Jr. celebration knew exactly how to utilize these feelings for the betterment of the community at large. This day speaks to not just persons of color, but to all populations, black, white, brown, pale, dark, big, and small, who believe in justice, equality, and the power of ordinary people in (extra)ordinary times.

MLKjrDayHappy Birth Anniversary, Dr. King.

Kentwood Remembers Martin Luther King Jr.

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The City of Kentwood will host “Kentwood Remembers MLK – Our Community Comes Together” to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, January 18. The celebration will take place at the KDL Kentwood Branch Library at 4950 Breton Rd SE.

The first-time event, which runs from 10:00am – 11:00am, was only an idea two years ago and will kick off with a welcome from Jessica Ann Tyson, Event Visionary, and Kentwood Resident/Kentwood Business Owner.

“We wanted to focus on making the event authentic to our community, to Kentwood,” said Tyson in an interview with Wyoming/Kentwood NOW. “There are numerous other celebrations in other communities, but ours needed to be authentic. I love that our event is for everyone and not just people of color.”

Kentwood Library

The event will feature Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech as well as a number of essays and artwork from Kentwood ARCH students that highlight what MLK means to them.

Following Dr. King’s speech, Mayor Stephen Kepley will deliver a mission moment and proclamation. “It is said where there is no vision, the people perish,” explained Kepley. “Passionate and honorable visions, goals, and dreams empower people to live their lives that benefit all. The City of Kentwood is honoring one of those persons, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who passionately declared his vision with the inner-personal courage to defend his dreams that have forever influenced our values so all may live in peace and unity.”

“Kentwood Remembers MLK” is sponsored by a number of Kentwood businesses, with all proceeds raised to benefit the ARCH after school program. The ARCH program focuses on low-income families, families of color, special education students, and English language learners.

“Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that still lives on today. As the community of Kentwood comes together to remember his legacy, I can only pray that each citizen takes to heart what this day truly symbolizes; peace, hope, and a chance for everyone to live together in unity,” said Tyson. “It’s idealistic, but why not strive for it?”

Wyoming/Kentwood NOW and WKTV will provide coverage of the inaugural event!