Local events celebrate legacy of civil rights leader

The True Heart Consolers, from St. Louis put on a performance that had the audience on its feet throughout several songs at Saturday night's Martin Luther King Jr. soul food dinner and musical at Marshall High School. [Click to enlarge]

This weekend's Martin Luther King Jr. celebratory events stretched far and wide across the country. In nearly every state and countless cities across the U.S., King and his legacy were honored and remembered, and although some were extremely elaborate, the festivities that took place in Marshall took a back seat to none.

The Mar-Saline Branch of the NAACP, in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. Planning Committee and Butterfield Youth Services, held two separate events that brought out a diverse community presence.

Saturday night, at Marshall High School, there was a soul food dinner in the school's commons area and musical performances in the MHS Little Theater.

Monday morning, at North Street United Methodist Church, the organizations also sponsored a prayer breakfast and program that was equally inspiring.

Mayor Connie Lattimer, who was present at the breakfast, said it was a wonderful thing to see so many people gathered to honor the values that King stood for.

"It's very enjoyable and it's nice for everybody to get together and celebrate what Dr. King stood for," Lattimer said. "I come every year and it's a lot of fun. It's nice to have the fellowship."

Lattimer also commented on the solidarity of the community. "Marshall is that kind of community," she said. "We come together and we enjoy these kinds of things. It's a nice time for a fellowship and the residents here come together in times of crisis and they come together to celebrate this sort of thing as well."

Aisha Williams, coordinator of both events for the Mar-Saline branch of the NAACP, says she was pleased at the turnout.

"I am so very pleased," she said. "The response was fantastic and the presentations were absolutely fantastic. It's more than I ever dreamed of myself. This program has shown that Dr. King's dream lives on."

Mary Williams, Aisha's mother and co-coordinator of both events, was equally pleased. "I am just ecstatic," she said, beaming. "This is just far more than I could have ever hoped for, imagined, or even prayed for. It has just been a marvelous event. Dr. King taught us to always strive toward excellence and be the best that we can be and I think that this has proved those sentiments."

The performances put on by the performers Saturday night were diverse and inspiring.

Project Praise, a local group from Marshall, started the performances with some highly-charged gospel songs and the other performers followed suit with varying acts.

Creative Praize, a mother and son mime group, wowed the audience as well, but the True Heart Consolers from St. Louis left the audience in awe after some powerful gospel singing of their own.

Margaret Banty, a long-time Marshall resident and member of the North Street United Methodist Church, worked tirelessly at both events but said they were well worth the effort.

Below: Rev. Helen Benton Harris, from Higginsville and pastor at St. James A.M.E. Church, displays her moves while "praise" dancing during Saturday evening's event. [Click to enlarge]

"We enjoy the fellowship," she said. "I wasn't supposed to be working this morning, but I ended up working anyway. But I enjoy it," she said, flashing a smile.

At Monday morning's gathering, two keynote speakers shared their thoughts on King and a variety of other subjects as well. The speakers were Rev. Darlene Easley from Sedalia and Salome Taylor, who spoke about her mission trips to Haiti and South Africa.

Clarence Henderson, a sanitation employee in Marshall, uttered some of the weekend's most enlightening comments when he said, "I'm here to pay tribute to someone who came before me and paved the way so people like me could make a decent living and have a nice home to live in."

Henderson also said the youth of today need to take more interest in historical figures like King.

"Our young people need to go and get educated and find literature and understand that ... somebody is always there before you, that has paved the way to make it so that you would be able to live a better life and go out and get an education and live a better life in this century," he said.

Contact Eric Coley at

marshallfaith@socket.net