Stanford celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Published 11:53 am Thursday, January 24, 2019
PARYS WALKER greets marchers for Monday's MLK Day celebration with a bright smile and words of hope.
SUSAN MILLER takes pictures on her cellphone as the crowd gathers in front of the Lincoln County Courthouse for the day's opening ceremonies.
MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES Sara Givens, right, leads the opening Martin Luther King Jr. Day program at the foot of the Lincoln County Courthouse stairs Monday in downtown Stanford. At Givens' left is her sister, and program coordinator, Barthenia Brown.
NEW BEGINNINGS United Methodist pastor Jeff Bramel, right, reads the scripture as the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Day birthday celectration opens in front of the Lincoln County Courthouse. The ceremony continued at First Missionary Baptist Church after a march from Main Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Street.
GLEN GOOCH sings "The Lord's Prayer" during the Martin Luther King Jr. Day program in downtown Stanford.
MARCH FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE. The marchers braving the cold to participate in the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration march near First Missionary Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Jr. Street for Monday's program.
LIFT EVERY VOICE. Mrs. Floyd Raglin, Carolyn Gooch, Ernest Gooch and Clarence Gooch join in the singing of the Negro National Anthem, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," during Martin Luther King Jr. Day festivities at First Missionary Baptist Church.
GLEN GOOCH leads the Boneyville Baptist Church choir in a musical selection.
ANSARRO MILLER provides a solo during Monday's program.
Photos by Nancy Leedy DR. LORENZO SUTER, the keynote speaker for the Lincoln County Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, moves out into the crowd as he begins his message Monday afternoon at First Missionary Baptist Church.
AN ATTENDEE at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day program at First Missionary Baptist Church captures Dr. Lorenzo Suter's message on video.
DR. LORENZO SUTER, keynote speaker for MLK Day.
DR. LORENZO SUTER of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was the keynote speaker at Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Stanford. Suter, a native Lincoln Countian and LCHS grad, addressed a full house at First Missionary Baptist Church.
STANFORD — Despite Monday’s frigid temperatures, the city of Stanford continued its tradition of honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual march for justice.
Mistress of ceremonies Sara Givens welcomed marchers at the foot of the Lincoln County Courthouse steps at noon to begin the day’s celebration. After the singing of “The Lord’s Prayer” by Glen Gooch and a scripture reading by Jeff Bramel, pastor of the New Beginnings United Methodist Church, the marchers moved out into the street for the march.
Monday’s sub-freezing temperatures did result in a small contingency of marchers, with just a few dozen making the trek from the Lincoln County Courthouse, down along Main Street to Danville Avenue and then on to Martin Luther King Jr. Street bound for First Missionary Baptist Church to hear keynote speaker Dr. Lorenzo Suter of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
There was no lack of numbers inside the First Missionary Baptist sanctuary, with the marchers finding the pews pretty packed upon their arrival.
Laurie Burnside welcomed guests to First Missionary Baptist and Anna Napier lit a candle in memory of Dr. King.
After musical selections from the Boneyville Baptist Choir and Ansarro Miller, Givens introduced Suter, a Lincoln County native and LCHS graduate.
Following the program, the crowd dismissed to the church’s dining hall for lunch.
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