By Tricia Hall
Sojourner’s Truth Reporter
The 2021 Unity Day Celebration to commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., PhD was held virtually on January 18. The celebration was organized by the City of Toledo Human Relations Commission and the University of Toledo and streamed live on YouTube.
The celebration opened at 10:00 a.m. with Alexis Means of 13abc serving as mistress of ceremonies. “I want to thank and welcome everyone who is joining this live stream today. This is a special day of remembrance as the 20-year anniversary.”
The program featured videos of Dr. King, presentation of the Honor Guard by the Lucas County Sheriff’s Department, and two pre-recorded welcome addresses.
“The University of Toledo is proud to partner with the City of Toledo to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy and celebrate 20 years of this partnership,” UT Interim President Gregory Postel, M.D.
“For 20 years the University of Toledo and City of Toledo have partnered to bring this celebration,” said Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. “This year we gather in an unusual time – not able to get together in person and taken place virtually. COVID has changed our lives but other things create dark environments including the incident at the U.S. Capitol and even the civil unrest following the death of George Floyd. It’s important that we unite right now. It is important to gather to listen to Dr. King and listen to his call for unity.”
Toledo Opera vocalist Olivia Johnson and Toledo Opera pianist Emily Morin presented the National Anthem and the Black National Anthem. The celebration recognized the contributions and life of deceased Congressmen John Lewis, a theatrical reading performed by local community leaders, public recognition of guests, dance presentation by Tahyay Dance Studio, and spoken word presented by Davion Williams.
Several dignitaries delivered greetings including: Willie McKether, PhD, the University of Toledo Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion; Rev. Willie Perryman Jr, DMin, the incoming Toledo NAACP president; Erin Baker, City of Toledo Human Relations Commission president, and two elected officials.
“It’s a pleasure to speak to you today. This celebration since its conception has been about the live and mission of Dr. King. He has inspired generations of change makers,” shared Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur.
“The man we are here to honor today understood the power of the tongue,” shared U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.
The program also announced the recipients of the University of Toledo’s MLK Scholarships:
- Jordan Bye, a junior, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, plans to lead a team of other strong engineers toward a common goal in an effort to become financially stable and help support his mother and future family.
- Kourtnee Dallas-Robin, a junior, majoring in finance and management, plans to complete an internship in summer 2021 with Key Bank’s Financial Analyst Program, earn a graduate degree in special education and own a non-profit organization to provide a safe space for young children to follow their passion and enjoy sports.
- Selena Farmer, a junior, majoring in Medicinal and Biological Chemistry with a pre-med concentration, plans to attend medical school to become a neonatologist or anesthesiologist in hopes of working at metropolitan hospital in order to help patients from all backgrounds.
- Rylee Harper, a junior, majoring in Psychology, plans to become a therapist to help others especially minorities who feel like they can’t relate or connect to therapists due to lack of representation in the field.
- Marie Jackson, a senior and Corporal in the Ohio Army National Guard as a Motor Transport Operator, majoring in Recreational Therapy, plans to work for a VA hospital as a recreational therapist helping veterans.
- Shadae Lee, a sophomore, majoring in biology, plans to pursue a masters degree in Physician Assistant studies at University of Toledo.
The annual celebration featured speaker was Toledo native Austin Channing Brown. She is a media producer, author and speaker who focuses on racial justice in America. Sher first book was released in May 2018, became a bestseller on Amazon, the New York Times, and USA Today bestselling author of I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness. Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in business management degree from North Park University and Masters of Arts degree in social justice from Marygrove College in Detroit. The featured presentation was facilitated by Rev. John C. Jones of HopeToledo.
Brown talked about her experiences growing up in Toledo, the first few chapters of her book that explain how her perception about society was shaped.
“Toledo was a great place to grow up. I have wonderful family and friends. I knew everyone in Toledo but after graduating from Central, I moved to Chicago and now I live in Detroit. I actually return to Toledo about two to three times per month. I discovered early on that I had a boy’s name. While at Reynolds Corner library a librarian took my card and asked if I was sure about my name. I asked my mom why was I given that name, she explained the family history, but I still asked why was the name chosen for me. She said that anyone who saw my name but hadn’t met me would think that I was a white man, and that would at least ensure that I made the interview.”
Rev. Jones commented on several themes throughout the discussion including whiteness, dealing with racism and four key traits of allies.
“We would rather believe racism is individuals and that we just need to change the hearts and minds of people,” said Jones. “As long as you’re not storming the capital, then you’re considered a good white. Whiteness lives in our world and in systems. It’s difficult to compare today to the earlier civil rights moment. Dr. King and that civil rights moment focused on legislation which was necessary, by focusing on legislation it was easy to determine if we won or loss. It’s difficult for people today to know where to begin. I tell people to ask yourself ‘what are you passionate about?’ and begin there.”
“People of color should be specific about what you need in an ally and raise expectations. Think about your needs. An ally should be less concerned about being nice and more concerned about being courageous; an ally must understand that I’m not the work; an ally should ready to assist, fund and support existing current movements; and an ally should be both teachable and committed.”
The discussion closed with a message for students from Brown.
“My question is what do you want. My duty is to clear the way so you can demand what you want. It matters how you foresee the future for yourself. You deserve equal education, healthcare, clean air and water, and a safe place to live,” said Brown.
“Thank you for joining us today. You are an inspiration and a product of Toledo. I am 100% confident that our world is better because you’re in it. It’s been a pleasure to speak with you, Austin Brown today,” shared Jones during closing remarks. The event was sponsored by the following community partners: Platinum Sponsor is ProMedica; Gold Sponsors are Multifaith Council of Northwest Ohio and Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce; and Silver Sponsors are MercyHealth and Toledo Lucas County Public Library
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