With the annual Committee to Commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. luncheon cancelled, a group of community members have decided to organize their own celebration of the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement icon.
Local attorney Travis McConnell said he and Sara Strahan, along with others, will be holding the evening celebration from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Monday at Courthouse Coffee on the Square, 108 N. Buffalo St., Warsaw. The public is invited to attend.
It will feature music and a speaker and coffee will be available to purchase, McConnell said.
McConnell and Strahan were filming a video Tuesday afternoon with the Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce to promote the event through social media.
Strahan said the speaker will be respected community elder Joe Banks who will talk about King.
“I respect Joe and I will just let him have the mic and share what’s on his heart,” she said.
Ray Cruz, from Sonic Memories, will have light music playing while light food options - provided by One Ten Craft Meatery - is made available.
Charles Cotton will perform jazz music. Cotton plays the saxophone and has performed at numerous events around the community, Strahan said.
The event will be more of a “come and go” type of event.
“Come, join with us. I want it to be more of an intimate evening of reflection for Martin Luther King” and all that he accomplished for people around the world, not just African Americans, Strahan said. King’s accomplishments made an impact on everyone, she stated.
Additionally, there will be a collection of African art on display at Courthouse Coffee.
Pastor Bryan Lowe, a leader of the Committee To Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which regularly organized the luncheon, confirmed Jan. 4 that the event coinciding with the national Martin Luther King holiday would not happen this year. He also said they are working to host an event later this year.
The annual celebration of King was a tradition in Winona Lake and Warsaw for 34 years.
In recent years, the luncheon had been held at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center on the campus of Grace College and was considered one of the bigger gatherings in north central Indiana celebrating King’s legacy.
In recognition of MLK Day, Grace College is closing its campus during regular business hours on Monday, Jan. 16 to allow students, faculty and staff to celebrate King's legacy with their friends and family. On the following day, Tuesday, Jan. 17, the school will honor King corporately during its chapel service at 10:30 a.m., where Freedom Rider Charles Pearson will share with the Grace community. Chapel services are open for the public to attend.
Chapel will be at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital Center.
