Dr. Marc Lamont Hill keynote calls for courageous action

On Monday, January 19, the MLK, Jr. Coalition of Madison and Dane County held the 41st annual celebration at Overture Center. Community members were invited to a freedom song singalong in Rotunda lobby prior to the event. The Rotunda was full of people and joyous music, directed by Tamera Stanley. As people entered, they were welcomed by harmonious voices, and many started moving their bodies and dancing to the joyful music before joining in song. 

Gloria Hawkins, King Coalition co-chair, welcomed everyone to the event, titled “Transcending Division,” after Leotha and Tamara Stanley led the MLK Community Choir’s performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” considered to be the Black national anthem. The event was emceed by Dr. Cora Marrett, who shared how proud she was to be there for MLK Day on ancestral Ho Chunk land and underscored the importance of King’s own multiethnic heritage and the timeliness of an event to remember his mission to fight for all people, to lift every voice.  

After a brief musical interlude, Dr. Marrett introduced the humanitarian awards and shared that “change will come,” connecting this to the importance of celebrating people in our midst who have already accomplished so much towards that end. 

The awardees were Jamal Eubanks, Dr. Justice Castañeda and Gift Akere—an educational consultant, a housing and economic justice advocate, and a first year UW student advocate with musical and science prowess. The awards were handed out by Dane County Executive Melissa Agard, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and King Coalition member Jasmine Banks. Before presenting the award, Agard stated “We are allowed to feel sorrow. We are allowed to raise our voices in outrage and, frankly, I think we must. As Dr. King said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’” 

Similarly, Mayor Rhodes-Conway shared, “I needed to be here tonight. I needed to hear the choir. I need help finding some hope. Every year, we gather here to remind us of the work required of us.  As Dr. King said, ‘The time is always right to do what is right,’ and we are in a time where that is true.”  

Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, keynote speaker, began his remarks by sharing, “There is never a wrong time to talk about [Dr. King’s] legacy. There is something about this moment in particular that calls for Dr. King’s attention, begs his witness and compels his courage.” 

Dr. Hill led an inspiring time of reflection, where he asked attendees to engage in the radical traditions Dr. King encouraged of us and reminded us, “that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” Hill also reminded the audience of the etymology of the word radical, “root,” and Dr. King in his radical activism was asking us to get to the root of the issues. He further asked the audience to engage in radical imagination, in radical listening and to transcend division by building coalitions, coming together by understanding how our struggles are intrinsically connected to one another. Dr. Hill ended his comments by sharing “Move forward with courageous action, join an organization, support an organization. Notice I didn’t say start one.” He spoke directly to younger guests in attendance, “We do not get it right all the time. I want y’all to make some new mistakes—no generation is perfect, lean on elders and make new [mistakes]. Who do we want to be? What is courageous action?”