Trio of events honor MLK’s legacy throughout weekend
Published 12:10 am Tuesday, January 21, 2025
SALISBURY — The theme for this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations was “Mission Possible: Let Justice Prevail,” and in between the multitude of events between Saturday and Monday, public speakers talked about what the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. had meant to the Rowan County and Salisbury community.
“(King) often said ‘injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ It’s a call to action that compels us to recognize that our fight for justice is interconnected, transcending race, class and geography. As we consider our mission, let us remember that we are stronger together than we could ever be divided. We must also understand that justice is not a destination, it is a journey that will require each of us to engage, educate and empower each other,” said Livingstone President Anthony J. Davis during the MLK Breakfast on Monday.
As part of the annual celebration, Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church presented humanitarian awards to members and organizations from throughout the community that have embodied King’s message through their actions. Awardees this year were Angela Houston, Next Generation Academy and Kiddie Land Kindergarten.
The awards were presented at a program held at the church on Sunday afternoon.
Houston received the award for her work with organizations such as Rowan Helping Ministries, the Salvation Army and Meals on Wheels as well as her volunteer work within multiple facets of the community.
“What truly distinguishes Angela is her independent and proactive approach. She does not wait for opportunity to come to her. She finds them herself. When learning of an organization or person in need, regardless of the location, she immediately creates a space for service and finds ways to help. She is a voice of action,” said awards presenter Jonita Powell.
Kiddie Land Kindergarten received the award for its long-standing commitment to educating and caring for the children of Rowan County. The daycare was originally started in the home of Rosa L. Wood, who started a child-care service in her basement for neighborhood children. The organization would continue to grow, first moving onto Green Street before landing in its current location on North Long Street. Kiddie Land is now run by Wood’s granddaughter, Tamika Peterson.
Awards presenter Deirdre Davis pointed to Kiddie Land’s college scholarship program, food and clothing drives for low-income families and partnership with Rowan Public Library to improve literacy rates as examples of the company’s dedication to the community.
“Through its educational programs, community outreach and efforts to foster inclusion and support, Kiddie Land has had a profound impact on the well-being of our community,” said Davis.
Although Next Generation Academy is the “new kid on the block,” as Mount Zion Pastor Nilous Avery called them, the organization received the award for its work in enriching the lives of and helping develop youth throughout the community. The company was started four short years ago as a sports outlet for youth at the Hall Gym, and founder Romar Morris said that it has grown to the point that they recently opened a new location on Catawba College’s campus for the 250 children that they serve.
“I didn’t see myself coming back to Salisbury, North Carolina, for any apparent reason other than to visit family. But honestly, this has been something that actually changed my life. Being able to see these students, being able to say I actually lived in your footsteps and being able to be a mentor to a lot of young people in this community has really been a blessing,” said Morris.
Morris founded the organization along with John Knox, and both are former Salisbury High School football standouts who went on to have professional careers before returning to found Next Gen.
The Sunday celebration included performances by Mount Zion Dance Ministry and Triple Threat Dance & Charm, with founder Krystal Stukes saying that the students would be learning about the Reconstruction Era through dance in the upcoming year. Music was performed by the Friends and Family Community Choir.
The event also included remarks by civic, educational and religious leaders from throughout the community, all of whom spoke about what the legacy of King meant to their service and community and how they had seen that spirit grow during the past year.
“We the citizens, staff and board of aldermen are determined, like Dr. Martin Luther King, to continue to struggle and sacrifice and bring to full realization the ideals and dreams of our city. Dr. King wrote, ‘the hour is late, the clock is ticking. We must act now. This is no day to pay mere lip service to forward progress, we must pay life service,” said East Spencer Mayor Barbara Mallett.
Other government officials that spoke included Rowan County Board of Commissioners Chairman Greg Edds, China Grove Mayor Rodney Phillips and Salisbury Mayor Pro Tem Tamara Sheffield. Other guest speakers included Catawba College Chaplain Kendra Jordan-Miller, Hood Theological Seminary President Vergel Lattimore and Salisbury-Rowan NAACP President Gemale Black.
“This isn’t about race, gender or political party, or who sits at the highest office in the land as 46 transitions to 47. On the day that we honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, it’s about all of us working together to fulfill the blueprint that Dr. King has laid out. Because justice is not just a dream, it’s a reality. We must not be afraid to challenge what needs to be challenged, but we are willing to praise the good in our community,” said Black.
Community Resource Fair brings together agencies despite weather challenges
If the weather had allowed, the MLK Day parade would have wound its way to its expected ending point, the Salisbury Civic Center, where a community resource fair awaited. Despite the weekend rain causing the Salisbury Human Relations Commission to cancel the parade, organizations and agencies from throughout the community still gathered on Saturday to put on the resource fair.
“This year, the theme is ‘Mission Possible,’ and I think if we continue with the mindset of ‘we can do this,’ even if the task of helping others seems daunting at times, the mission is very possible if we stay connected to what Dr. King represented,” said Sheffield.
The event represented the seventh year that the city has held a resource fair. As part of the event, the HRC continued the backpack giveaway, with school supplies being distributed to families and children that needed them.
“We have been meeting for a half of a year now, and a lot of it looks like reaching out to the communities and resources that are so vibrant and active here in Salisbury and bringing those together in this space,” said HRC Chair Christina Rary.
Over 20 organizations from throughout the community, including One Love Community Programs, Salisbury Rowan Community Action Agency, Terrie Hess Child Advocacy Center and more, set up booths throughout the civic center and provided information and resources to members of the community.
“Dr. King was born in 1929. We lost him in 1968. He was only 39 years old. If everybody just thinks about the impact that one individual had not only on our country, but the world, in such a short span of time. I think we would be doing him an injustice if we didn’t do whatever we could to continue some aspect of the work that he put in. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you do, we all have some capabilities and talents that we can put forth,” said Salisbury City Council member Carlton Jackson Jr.
Council member David Post, who was unable to attend the beginning of the fair because of religious obligations, said that it was a great thing to “an hour after it started and not be able to find a parking space.”
Breakfast, guest speaker provide capstone to weekend of celebrating MLK’s legacy
Hundreds of people crammed into the Salisbury Civic Center for the breakfast finale in the weekend-long celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which included speeches from local officials as well as guest speaker Kenston Griffin.
Griffin is a native of Statesville, but came to Salisbury to attend Livingstone College before going on to found Dream Builders Communication, a national coaching and strategic leadership firm. Part of Griffin’s talk centered around how he reached out to Tyler Perry’s management team for advice from the filmmaker when he was asked to “go back home to Salisbury” and give a speech.
Surprisingly, Perry returned Griffin’s call, and the two spoke about Perry’s most recent film “The Six Triple Eight,” which told the story of an all-Black, all-female Army postal battalion in World War II. The battalion was tasked with delivering mail to soldiers from their families, an effort that raised the soldiers’ morale.
“When you start thinking about a journey, you’ve got to think about what you are going to do today that others won’t do so that you can have the city tomorrow that others want. For some of you, it’s not about mail, it’s about conversation. For others of us, it’s just a handshake. For some, it’s looking somebody in the eyes and saying thank you. I believe when we get rid of foolishness, all the other stuff will take care of itself,” said Griffin.
Griffin also spoke about seeing the change in the city since he first showed up on Livingstone’s campus, saying that the changes exemplified that “there are some things we used to do that we maybe don’t need to do anymore,” and adding his perspective.
“This is our city. You’re in the middle of what many people say is Charlotte and Winston or Charlotte and Raleigh. So, why not Salisbury, North Carolina? You have not one, but two private colleges here. You have a massive corporation in Food Lion. You have healthcare here. You have everything you need in Salisbury, but here’s the thing I want to caution you (about). The reason, sometimes, Salisbury can’t be as great as Salisbury can be, is because we’re the ones talking about Salisbury,” said Griffin.
Sheffield spoke during the event, thanking the community for its outpouring of love and support following the death of Mayor Karen Alexander and providing the city’s proclamation, which she said was the last one Alexander signed.
“I’m humbled and honored today, somewhat with a veil of sadness and it’s definitely apropos that this proclamation that I’m going to read today is the last proclamation that was signed by our mayor, Karen Kirks Alexander. It is very appropriate as she was truly a mayor of all and she believed in a Salisbury for all,” said Sheffield.