Bowling Green kicks off Martin Luther King Jr. Day with breakfast at Parker-Bennett-Curry

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – For Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, the community had a packed schedule of celebrations, starting off with a breakfast at Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary School.

The breakfast included prayer and music from Fred and Estella Hill. In addition, Rev. Jeremiah Jordan spoke on the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and how the people of today should continue to fight for his vision, something that one community leader says is very important to carry on even after today.

“The spirit of the dream of Dr. King. We wanted to come together in the spirit of unity and brotherhood, and that’s exactly what we did this morning. We recognized that we have come so far, but there’s still so much work to be done. And as a community, we want to make sure that we come together and commemorate the dream,” said Felicia Bland, chair of the MLK Holiday Planning Committee.

During his speech, Jordan discussed the importance of rising above the hatred, heat and pressure as King did, a message that the youth has taken to heart to try and leave a lasting and positive impact on the community.

“This, this unity. We, it’s not just one person. It’s not just the mayor. It’s not just the city commissioners. It’s not just the administrators in schools. It’s not just the students on campus. It’s all of Bowling Green. It’s Bowling Green as a whole. And so I think we need to look at ourselves in a mirror and ask ourselves, where can we help out in this community? Leave your community better than you found it. Create a positive impact,” said WKU student and volunteer Jaden Marshall.

After breakfast, the crowd then headed to the Warren County Justice Center to hear from a chorus and another speaker before marching to the State Street Baptist Church.