Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy Remembered in Fayetteville

Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy was celebrated at the Fayetteville Town Center Monday Jan 21 during the 17th Annual Community Re-commitment Banquet.

It’s an event organized by the Northwest Arkansas MLK Council where hundreds attended to remember Dr. King’s message of unity, equality and service.

“We have the community of Northwest Arkansas coming and saying we believe in what Dr. King stood for,” said John L Colbert, program director. “He believed in helping all people regardless of color, so therefore we are excited to having the community here with us.”

The banquet had several speakers including Pastor Marcus Carruthers, with The Dwelling Place, who spoke about the impact of our ancestors.

“If today we stand higher or stronger and if we’ve achieved much more it’s truly been because of those who have gone before us such as Dr. Martin Luther King Junior and many others,” Carruthers said.

Other speakers included Sharon Orlopp, global chief diversity officer for Walmart, and Carolyn Allen, dean of university libraries.

The event also awarded members of the community for their contributions including Kemmian Johnson, Al “Papa Rap” Lopez, Dr. G. David Gearhart, and Louis Bryan. The Organization of the Year Award went to the UA Office of University Relations.

Twenty five students were given $1,000 scholarships.

“I’m the first out of my family to go to college, so it’s amazing to receive my first scholarship,” said Jocelyn Centeno.

Olivia Carr said, “going to college is one of the opportunities I think I have because of the things he did. So, I’m really thankful.”

Education was one of Dr. King’s passions, which is something the council wants to support for many years to come.

“You have given of yourself, you’ve shown that you have the ability to go to the next level and by providing that scholarship, it’s an incentive,” Colbert said.

The MLK Council has given more than $250,000 in scholarships to students in Northwest Arkansas.

The proceeds from this banquet go towards scholarships for next school year.