PUEBLO, COLORADO — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached non-violence as he fought for the civil rights of African-Americans. His message continued for everybody including for many in Pueblo Monday.
News 5 spoke with people who wouldn’t let Monday's chilly temperatures stop them from celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day of Service. They also won’t forget what needs to be done to preserve his legacy.
“It is so very important to remember what Dr. Martin Luther King did here, and his legacy, and to continue to move that forward,” Brandi Adakai, Director of the Rocky Mountain SER Empowerment Center says.
It's been almost 56 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, but his message of equality lives on. While his statue is proudly displaced at the Friendly Harbor Community Center in Pueblo, across town dozens of people gathered at the El Pueblo History Museum on Union Avenue to celebrate Dr. King's Day of Service.
“Martin Luther King Junior day means that hey we got to get out there, roll up our sleeves, get dirty and do the work that he has done. You know to represent change and unity with everybody,” Adakai says.
Monday she helped pass out flower buds to the community.
“We plant a seed. A seed of change and we hope everybody will continue to do that not only today, but each and everyday remembering Martin Luther King.”
The celebration at the museum also included a short program about the civil rights leader. Those in attendance sang and prayed. Both young and old sharing what Dr. King means to them.
“Even though Martin Luther King fought for civil rights at a time that a lot of African-Americans were just struggling, but at the end of the day is broader, and bigger than that. It is for everybody. It's about the civil rights for everybody,” Kennedy Pugh, from the Colorado Arts and Artists Association says.
NAACP Pueblo Branch President Roxana Mack was delighted by the community's turnout and involvement in today's Day of Service. This, despite the cold weather forcing the cancellation of some events. The day still has a greater meaning.
“To me it means a unity. A togetherness. A symbol of what America should be and want to be of love, and caring of everyone's situation, and prominence,” Mack says.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
