Written by Mark Payne, LINKnky politics and government reporter
The Northern Kentucky Branch of the NAACP held its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day luncheon on Monday at the Newport Syndicate.
“Every year, we have these celebrations for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and it’s important to have a theme like ‘make it a day on, rather than a day off,’” said Jerome Bowles, president of the Northern Kentucky branch of the NAACP. “The day on is coming to an event like this, but also going a little further for folks out there in the community who are doing service work on today, because we take it beyond the luncheons and the other celebrations and the marches and give back on that particular day.”
This year’s luncheon featured Dr. David Childs, professor of education at Northern Kentucky University. Childs, who also serves as an education coordinator for Democracy and Me (an education outreach project of Cincinnati Public Radio), focused his comments on the importance of doing the right thing. He also hit on the theme of the luncheon regarding MLK’s battle:
“They could not take days off from the struggle,” Childs said. He also talked about the current pandemic and how that compares to social inequality.
“There’s the pandemic of COVID-19 that’s taken so many lives and the pandemic of racial intolerance,” Childs said.
Sixth District Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Michelle Keller also addressed the audience.
“True peace is not the absence of tension, but the presence of justice,” Keller said.
The event also featured remarks from State Rep. Rachel Roberts (D-Newport). Awards were also given to community members and a full list can be viewed here.
Bowles said that it’s important to celebrate the day but also to make sure that King’s work is continued.
“But, also keep that momentum going throughout the year in terms of trying to challenge ourselves to live the lives that Dr. King wanted us to live in terms of our beloved community,” Bowles said. “A beloved community is on a higher level than just a regular community. A beloved community is you appreciate yourself and everybody, despite race, ethnicity, or gender.”
One area of continued focus should be access to voting, Bowles said.
“We have an obligation to work with our city governments, our county governments, and our state representatives, and our federal government to ensure that people have full access to the ballot box,” Bowles said. “We have to be concerned about that, and we must work together on these important issues.”
