Fresno’s Unity Committee labors with love to organize MLK Day activities | Opinion

On Jan. 15, the city of Fresno will celebrate the 95th birth anniversary of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an uncompromising champion of nonviolence, human rights and social justice.

Since 1984, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Committee of the city of Fresno has been organizing four days of celebration in tribute to Dr. King for his magnetic leadership and majestic contribution to civil and human rights, social justice and nonviolence. We celebrate the life and legacy each year of a man who brought the message of peace, love, unity, hope and healing.

We also commemorate the timeless values that Dr. King shared through his life examples — the values of truth, justice, compassion, courage, dignity, humility and community service.

The Unity Committee was established in 1983 through the persistent efforts and dedicated leadership of late City Council Member Les Kimber, whose daughter, Terri Edwards, now serves on this committee.

Historically speaking, the Fresno City Council passed Bill 195 and ordinance 85-187 on Oct. 25th in the fall of 1983 declaring the third Monday in January to be “The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day” as holiday, and created the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Committee tasked with planning a celebration for the then-55th birthday of King Jr. In the following January of 1984.

The Unity Committee held the first celebration on Jan. 15, 1984. Chaired by the late Carolyn Carter, the Unity Committee represented a broad cross-section of our community and included Les Kimber, , Dan Pessano, City Council member Karen Humphrey, the Rev. Walt Perry, Mary Curry, Woody Miller, Dr. Joseph Sacks, Dr. Thomas Russell, Shirley Rowe, Art Dyson, the Rev. Chester Riggins, Ernie Shelton, Dr. James Aldredge, Ben Benavidez, Jackie Church, Ruth Cooper, Lindell Cross, Rutherford “Bud” Gaston, Dr. Robert S. Mikell, Ray Johnson and various other community members.

Opinion

The first carefully planned celebration on Dr. King’s birthday was a tremendous success as it generated an enthusiastic response from several thousand Fresnans of all ages, races, religions and classes who participated in the citywide events to honor Dr. King.

During the first two years, the celebrations included a march, a community commemoration program at Saroyan Theater and a food drive.

When Dr. King’s birthday became a national holiday in 1986, the Unity Committee themed the celebration “Living the Dream” and expanded its events to include a breakfast (hosted by the Clovis Police Department since 2006), an all-faith service, and a candlelight vigil.

In 1987, the Unity Committee added a speech arts and essay contest for students in the Fresno Unified School District. Now the contest includes students throughout Fresno County with active help and cooperation from the County Office of Education.

Kindergarten-through-12th-grade curriculum on the life of Dr. King was also introduced by Fresno Unified. Youth participation added more vigor to the celebration, which is becoming more vibrant each year.

The Unity Committee added a garlanding ceremony at Dr. King’s bust to the program when the sculpture was installed in Fresno Courthouse Park in 1988. An awards and community reception event was later added to the current program.

The Unity Committee is a multicultural group consisting of eight subcommittees. It is an all-volunteer effort that is tasked to fund-raise for and organize a community-wide celebration of Dr. King’s life and legacy. The Unity Committee has been a vital force at the grass roots level since its inception and is proud of its 40 years of service it has provided to the community.

The committee spends countless number of hours each year in planning the events spread over four days, starting with garlanding ceremony on the Friday before Dr. King’s official birthday on the third Monday of the year. The garlanding ceremony is joined by community and civic leaders, including several hundred school children from FUSD. Members of our beloved community are cordially invited to attend and participate in all the events.

Dr. Sudarshan Kapoor is a professor emeritus at Fresno State and a founding member of the Unity Committee.