Emporia State University opened the Memorial Union’s doors to the community Wednesday night for its annual Martin Luther King, Junior celebration.
Saint James Missionary Baptist Church Pastor Larry Williams says King could have been a quiet civil rights leader or he could have decided not to get involved. That’s obviously not the route he chose, and it was a decision that wound up inspiring millions of people through his words and actions.
The event was held a week and a half after the official holiday — a fact not lost on Emporia Presbyterian Church Pastor Phyl Stutzman.
Before the talks from Williams and Stutzman, a handful of poems were read.
Afterward, the gathering sang.
Wednesday’s event followed a gathering organized by the Eastside Community Group on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day at Eastside Park. Close to 30 people attended.