MLK Day observances happening throughout the weekend
Jan. 13—The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will acknowledge three momentous occasions this Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend.
Tonight's NAACP awards ceremony commemorates the 62nd anniversary of the NAACP in Hawaii, the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education and the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Civil Rights Act.
"Dr. King's life and legacy really has been about unity," said Alphonso Braggs, NAACP national assistant secretary and Hawaii NAACP president. "It is definitely about bringing together like-minded individuals to promote the concepts of peace, to build the community and promote the general welfare of those who are least regarded."
Public events on Oahu remembering the slain civil rights leader will culminate Monday at the MLK Jr. Coalition annual parade and festival. The parade begins at Magic Island with the formation of organizations at 7:30 a.m., then moves out at 9 a.m., traveling on Kalakaua Avenue through Waikiki to Kapiolani Park. There the festival is estimated to begin at about 11:45 a.m., when the last parade unit reaches the park, said MLK Jr. Coalition CEO and President Patricia Puanani Auyong Anthony Rushing.
Among those being recognized at the Saturday NAACP Honolulu Hawaii Branch Annual Awards Dinner are Adam Robinson Jr., who will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Service; and Kannille Washington and Kevin Burke, who will both receive the NAACP Outstanding Youth Leadership Award.
Braggs said that Robinson, director of Veterans Affairs Pacific Islands Health Care Systems, is being recognized for innovative and distinguished leadership roles and for being a standout historian and trailblazer. Washington and Burke are being recognized for their outstanding academic excellence and campus leadership, Braggs said.
The 2024 theme is "Making Our Vote Count" and highlights the branch motto of "Empowering People — Transforming Communities."
At the Church of the Crossroads' 38th Annual MLK Jr. Peacemaker Award Service and Celebration on Monday, Akiemi Glenn is slated to be recognized for her work as the founder of the nonprofit The Popolo Project, said Iain MacPherson, chair of the committee at Church of the Crossroads. The nonprofit works to create educational and cultural learning opportunities, as well as community gatherings to help people reconnect with what it means to be Black in Hawaii, according to the nonprofit's website.
With the approaching holiday and its upcoming celebrations, Braggs said he hopes people will not only find ways to attend the coming events, but also continue to remember King's legacy of unity, peace, service and social justice.
"He is a great example of someone who loves peace and believes in finding the best in all of those that the Creator created," Braggs said. "He did all of those things, and I have to say that he's one of the most recognized human beings in all of history."
Other events happening on Oahu:
>> Trinity Missionary Baptist Church will hold a "Dr. King Remembered" service at 10 a.m. Sunday.
>> The Oahu County Democrats and the NAACP will distribute canned food and hygiene products today. Contact Cora Yamamoto for information at ceyama@gmail.com.
>> Martin Luther King Jr. Community Block Party today at 1057 Opakapaka St. Learn more about the event and ticket purchasing at afroaloha.com.
