Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is celebrated across the country. Schools and businesses close in honor of a man who stood up for justice for all people. While many are lifted of some of their daily responsibilities, others are soldiering on with the work which began decades ago.
On Monday morning, members of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planning Committee held open the doors at Silver Creek High School, welcoming the community to come celebrate King’s life and legacy.
The event marked the 17th time the event was held in both Longmont and Boulder.
The agenda was packed with singers of the Colorado Heritage Community Choir, dancing taught by Professor Nii Arma Sowah, a professor of dance at the University of Colorado, and many speakers including Longmont’s Mayor Joan Peck.
The theme of community — especially the idea of the “beloved community” — rang loud throughout the event.
“My heart’s desire is to work to build people as we continue to create the ‘beloved community.’ I will continue to uphold the dignity, integrity, and legacy of Dr. King’s Dream,” said founding member Minister Glenda Strong Robinson.
In keeping with her words, Robinson and Silver Creek Principal Erick Finnestead presented Inez Buggs with this year’s Honoring Boulder County’s Living Legend and Lifetime Achievement Award.
Buggs simply wanted to grow up to be a registered nurse, claiming that as early as she could remember she had to be part of helping people. It wasn’t until Buggs was 34 that she was able to return to school and achieve her dream.
After completing her degree, Buggs saw an ad for a small clinic in Lafayette that was determined to help underserved individuals get the medical care they needed. She said she was the only one to apply and helped get the clinic going with only six others there to help.
Buggs spent her life helping anyone who walked in the door, regardless of their attitude toward her as a Black person.
“I don’t think I had a day that I didn’t want to go to work,” Buggs said. “It was a time to listen to their stories, be a friend … I felt like I was part of the inner circle of the community, rather than an outsider … If I had not opened up and was willing to initiate conversations or interactions I would be one of those close-minded people …”
The keynote speaker for the day was Dr. Reiland Rabaka, founder and director of the Center for African and African American Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Rabaka labeled King as his superhero because King reached out to people like him, people from impoverished communities. Rabaka has spent his career studying King’s Dream and too believes in the “beloved community.”
Rabaka said this community is achievable but there is much work to be done. In this community, everyone is welcomed no matter their differences.
“I believe one of the best ways we can honor Dr. Martin Luther King and keep his legacy alive is by building little beloved communities all over this country and in fact, all over this world,” Rabaka said.
He continued to ask the audience to ask questions such as: “What is a beloved community? What is its role and goal in transforming society? How do we build the beloved community? Who can we build it with? Is it open to everyone, including white folk? Can people who have previously done wrong repent and be redeemed in the beloved community? Are we willing to give everyone, not just our friends and our families, but everyone space and grace and room to redeem themselves in the beloved community?”
“It must be a sacred and safe place where all are welcomed, respected and protected,” Rabaka said.
