POPLAR BLUFF, MISSOURI (WSIL) - Monday marks the day set aside to celebrate the life and contributions of Civil Rights Leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Keeping Dr. King's message alive and continuing for the next generation is a driving factor for Kathern Harris
"His message was for a different lifestyle. For freedom for everyone," said Kathern Harris, who served on the Wheatley Historical Preservation Association's advisory board and is an event organizer.
"If the message is only for a day -- then it's not his message."
The historic Wheatley school hosted the 37th annual community celebration of Dr. King.
"It's important to keep the community connected and to never forget about sacrifices that people have made so that we can be in positions where we are today," said Harris.
The theme for the event, "Together We Can Be The Dream," focused on bringing different generations together to keep Dr. King's legacy alive.
"We have a generation that's so much more technology and everything at their hands but they seem to have little time," said keynote speaker and Butler County NAACP president, Michelle Webb. "Someone taught us and now it's time for those to get back engaged."
Webb's message spoke on what it means to become the dream and focus on the next generation.
"One of the things Dr. King says is, it's about the urgency of now and not letting it go," Webb said.
"Yes, he passed a while ago, but the dream continues and it's important to talk to this new generation about what he stood for and what he did and the sacrifices."
Harris says Dr. King's message is just as important today as it was back then.
"Shouldn't we still be focused on education and fairness and respect," she explains. "Those things never go out. They will always be relevant "
to whatever generation we're living in."
