MLK Day Declares We Are The World
This year Lake Worth will honor the transformative power of Martin Luther King Jr’s dream on January 17th and 18th under the theme, United We Are the World. The theme was selected to correspond with the rededication of the MLK Globe Fountain after the City’s recent renovations.
MLK events with commence with a “Musical and Theatrical Tribute to Fannie Lou Hamer” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. Hamer, a Mississippi sharecropper with little education, became a powerful voice for civil rights and voter registration in the 1960’s. Actress Taylore Mahogany Scott will portray Hamer, with the Core Ensemble (cello, piano, percussion) performing jazz, popular, and classical music by African Americans. This innovative drama will be hosted on Sunday, January 17th at 4 PM at St. Andrews Episcopal Church (Lucerne Avenue and Palmway). Admission is free.
On Monday, January 18, St. Andrews Lutheran Church, 10th Avenue South and E Street, will host the Unity Interfaith Breakfast from 7:30 – 9 AM. Food is provided by donation and is free to the public. This inspirational program will feature music and prayers from diverse faith traditions, including Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Muslim and Bahá’í representatives.
The highlight of the day will be the 22nd annual Candlelight March through downtown Lake Worth. Participants will gather at 5 PM at City Hall and parade down Lake Avenue to the Cultural Plaza. A brief commemorative program in the Plaza will feature the rededication of the MLK Globe Fountain. The Fountain, originally installed in 2005, has been refurbished and rebalanced so that the 4-ton granite globe will once again float freely and be rotated by hand. To mark the occasion, a children’s choir will perform a heart-warming rendition of We Are the World in recognition of the progress that the City of Lake Worth has made toward fulfillment of Dr. King’s dream.
Following the rededication program, a Fellowship Dinner will be enjoyed at First Baptist Church. The church is located at Second Ave. South and M Street, just a block south of the Memorial. Musical entertainment is planned. The free dinner will provide an opportunity for warm fellowship across religious and racial lines in the spirit of Dr. King. Sponsoring religious and civic organizations will provide the food and beverages. Members of the general public are invited to help with the dinner preparations which will begin at First Baptist at 4 PM or to contribute a dessert.
Dr. King’s Dream encompassed the hopes and dreams of all Americans. Members of every racial, religious and ethnic group in Palm Beach County are invited to join Lake Worth residents in their celebration of the diversity of our community.
All events are free of charge to the public, sponsored by the City of Lake Worth, Kiwanis Club, Lake Worth Interfaith Network and the Lake Worth MLK Committee.