By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
On Monday, The Martin Luther King Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) held its annual Day of Remembrance “Living the Principles of Dr. Martin Luther King” celebration. A celebration of the life and death of one of the world’s iconic figures. The event, which was held at Holgate Baptist Church in Seattle, was filled with special guest speakers and music, culminating in honoring some of Seattle’s leading Black figures whose work has left a legacy.
With the collaboration and support of The Mayor’s Office, Seattle Office of Arts and Culture, City Light Black Employees, the Seattle Fire Department, NAACP, The Urban League Metropolitan Seattle and a host of other sponsors, the community honored to Chris H. Bennett, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones, State Rep. Kirsten Harris-Talley of the 37th Leg. Dist. and Larry Brown, President of Washington State Labor Council at the ceremony.
Music selections were performed by Josephine Howell and Chandler Williams. Special guest speakers included Hayward Evans of MLKCC, Holgate Baptist Church Sr. Minister Jimmy Hurd. Award presenters included State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos, Claude Burfect of the King County Labor Council and Vice President of the NAACP, Rev. Paul Benz, Rita Green of the NAACP and Frank P. Barrow, Sr. of KRIZ radio.
According to the Martin Luther King Commemoration Committee, the awards “are conferred on candidates whose work has primarily focused on Civil Rights and on candidates whose work, or whose example, has had a significant local impact. Recipients of the award must characterize and embody the principles which guided Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement.”
Chris H. Bennett, founder of The Seattle Medium newspaper and Bennett Media Group, the parent company of 1420 AM KRIZ and 1620 AM KYIZ, was given the George Washington Bush Living Legacy Award. Bush was an American pioneer and one of the first African American settlers of the Pacific Northwest.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized in the same breath of the legacy Dr. King and others,” says Bennett. “We’ve worked hard in trying to preserve things in our community and make it a lot better place for others who have come along.”
“We stand on the shoulders of a lot of people and so I am here tonight in their honor,” added Bennett. “I have stood on a lot on a lot of people’s shoulders and hopefully some day the legacy and the things we have established here will continue.”
Dr. Brent Jones received the Thelma Dewitty Education Award. The award is named in honor of Thelma Dewitty, who was the first African American to teach in the Seattle Public Schools. Kirsten Harris-Talley was honored with the Senator John Henry Ryan Public Servant Award. Ryan became the first African American elected to the Washington state senate.
“On this day of remembrance of the demise of Dr. King we know that we still have work to do,” said Dr. Jones. “I’m honored to be honored on this day along with his legacy. Dr. King talked about where do we go from here? Dr. King set the tone for us to do a lot of fantastic things, and in education we are taking great strides to realize his dream and his legacy for us to achieve. Receiving the Thelma Dewitty Award as one of the pioneers that broke the color barrier at Seattle Public Schools, I’m honored and appreciate the opportunity to be in space with the MLKCC.”
Larry Brown received the A. Phillip Randolph Uniting Workers Award. The award named in honor of A. Phillip Randolph who was a labor leader and civil rights activist who founded the nation’s first major Black labor union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP) in 1925. The Central District Community Preservation and Development Authority (CDCP&DA) was honored with the Edwin T. Pratt Community Leadership Award. Pratt was the Executive Director of the Seattle Urban League in 1961.
The event ended in celebration and prayer and comradery over good food and refreshments.
