Community to honor King’s legacy through events
Published 8:00 am Friday, January 12, 2018
When community members march from the Warren County Justice Center to State Street Baptist Church on Monday, they’ll remember the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
For Ryan Dearbone, it’s a moment to reflect and move forward.
“Fifty years is a good benchmark to really look at where the dream is,” said Dearbone, chairman of the local Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee.
Several events this weekend and Monday will attempt to do just that. Dearbone said the committee strives to target both young people and adults through its programming.
“Some events are geared more toward the youth to kind of teach them about the dream,” he said. “And then we also have events for adults to try and teach them.”
Warren Central High School will host a Martin Luther King Jr. celebration at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Parker-Bennett-Curry Elementary School will be a destination for events Sunday and Monday.
On Sunday, two-time national college football champion Caleb Castille will headline a youth event at 4 p.m.
Castille, a former cornerback for the University of Alabama, is now an actor and starred as Tony Nathan in the 2015 film “Woodlawn.” The film draws on the real-life story of one of the first black high school football players at a Birmingham, Ala., high school.
On Monday, the school will host a breakfast at 7:30 a.m. Tickets are $12 and will be sold at the event, Dearbone said. Tickets can also be purchased at the Bowling Green Human Rights Commission at 491 Double Springs Road or at the Housing Authority of Bowling Green at 247 Double Springs Road, according to a news release. The Rev. Ford Huskey of Power House Church will be the event’s guest speaker.
Following the breakfast, marchers will gather at 10 a.m. at the Justice Center for the march to State Street Baptist Church. Shuttle service to the Justice Center will be provided at 9:15 a.m. at State Street Baptist Church.
After returning to the church, former NFL player Jeremiah Castille will speak during an event that begins at 11 a.m. Castille played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos. Jeremiah Castille is Caleb Castille’s father.
Although the Rev. Freddie Brown of State Street Baptist Church said he enjoys the march, he said it shouldn’t be the end of community activism.
“To me, a march without action won’t mean a whole lot,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to be done.”
Dearbone agreed, adding that he hopes the community’s young people will be inspired and informed.
“I hope that the youth understand who Dr. King was, what his legacy was and what part they will ultimately play in making his legacy a reality,” he said. “They’re going to have to be the ones to carry the mantle.”