King Day time for reflection, service

FAYETTEVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas residents were encouraged Monday to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. through self-reflection and public service, rather than large gatherings, out of concern over the covid-19 pandemic.

The Northwest Arkansas MLK Council commemorated its 25th annual series of events, mostly online. An annual parade that started in downtown Springdale in 2018 was replaced with a small, socially distanced ceremony at Luther George Park.

Alice Gachuzo-Colin, founder of UNITY Love Creation, the group putting on the parade in Springdale, said it felt meaningful to have even a small gathering honoring King's life. The event was billed as a mostly virtual one with about 30 community advocates, group representatives and elected officials invited.

The proceedings to recognize locals and organizations for their community service and a dedication to place a new bench and plaque in King's honor were streamed live on Facebook.

The bench provides a place of solitary reflection, Gachuzo-Colin said. A plaque next to it displays King's words: "...it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps."

The meaning of the quote speaks to the need for members of a community to lift one another up in trying times, Gachuzo-Colin said. Springdale has come a long way as far as acceptance and inclusion for different types of people, compared to when Gachuzo-Colin was in high school in the city in 1994, she said.

The past six to seven months have tested the country's moral fiber, with a virus killing thousands and political strife and racial injustice coming to the forefront, Gachuzo-Colin said.

"I think Dr. King would like nothing more than for us to sit with ourselves and think, 'who are you morally?'" she said. "Right now, we need this peace more than anything."

In any other year, the Northwest Arkansas MLK Council and University of Arkansas Associated Student Government would host a march to the student union, attracting hundreds of participants. A vigil would be held with speakers and inspirational music on campus.

John L Colbert, superintendent of Fayetteville Public Schools and president of the council, said he felt a little down Monday morning, knowing there would be no in-person events organized in Fayetteville. However, a memorial service for King was held online on Zoom on Sunday, with video montages honoring King posted Monday to social media.

King's words travel online as they do in real life, Colbert said. The council still gave scholarships to 27 high school seniors and university students during the annual recommitment ceremony online, despite the pandemic, he said.

"We have to continue to bring people together," Colbert said. "We have to share our thoughts and our concerns, together, for us to really bring this world to where it should be, and that is with peace and love."

Community service can manifest itself in a variety of ways, said Anthony DiNicola, inclusion liaison for the office of university Chancellor Joe Steinmetz. It may be something as simple as reading a book on what it means to be anti-racist or actively demonstrating for racial equality, he said.

Sometimes, the fight for equality comes amid galvanizing moments in history, DiNicola said. Hundreds of rioters storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was one of those moments, he said. So was the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man who died after a former Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

Moments like those bring inequality and injustice to the social consciousness, DiNicola said. The principles King stood for resonate throughout society. Solutions must be sought collectively, whether in-person or some other means, he said.

"Yes, we may not have stood in linked arm," DiNicola said. "But we still have the opportunity to do that work, so that when we are all vaccinated and we can get back together, we will be stronger than we ever were before."

D’Andre Jones (left), Fayetteville City Council member, receives an award Monday from Sheree Miller during the Martin Luther King Jr. UNITY Love Celebration at Luther George Park in Springdale. The UNITY Love Creation group in Springdale dedicated a bench and plaque at Luther George Park as part of an online Martin Luther King Jr. Day event. Check out nwaonline.com/210119Daily/ and nwadg.com/photos for a photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/David Gottschalk)