Annual King Symposium to be held Jan. 21 and 23 in Huntington

The 15th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 21, and Wednesday, Jan. 23, at various locations around Huntington as part of the annual celebration of the civil rights leader’s life. 

The symposium was established by Marshall University’s Multicultural Affairs office and is partially funded by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission. This year’s symposium theme is “Rising from the Dark … to the Sunlit Path of Racial Justice,” a quote from King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

The symposium begins with a Focus on Youth Program coordinated by Marshall’s Student Government Association. The session begins at 2 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 21, and takes place at First Baptist Church at 801 Sixth Ave.

Marshall psychology senior Ronald Jones and SGA President Dominique Elmore are facilitating the youth program that will focus on academic achievement and the importance of a college education. The interactive forum will target middle and high school youth.

Following the youth program, participants in the traditional march procession will begin lining up at First Baptist Church. The march is scheduled to begin at 4:45 p.m. and ends at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church at 1647 Ninth Ave. The Martin Luther King Jr. “ I Have a Dream” speech will be delivered from the steps of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church by Arley Johnson, formally ending the procession.

This year’s march will be led by Grand Marshal Dr. Ken Hechler, a former West Virginia Secretary of State and Marshall faculty member. Huntington Mayor David Felinton and Dr. Stephen J. Kopp, president of Marshall University, also will participate in the march. All members of the community are encouraged to take part in this historical event.

The annual Memorial Service begins at 6 p.m. at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and features guest speaker Dr. Patricia Kusimo, chief executive officer for The West Virginia Center for Professional Development. WVCPD is a state agency which works to support West Virginia educators in their professional development as a means to improve student academic achievement in the classroom.

Dr. Kusimo has been involved with education for more than 25 years. The Memorial Service also will feature the Huntington High School Choir and a combined community choir, Voices Supreme Gospel Choir, directed by Dale Capehart.

Winners of the Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Competition will be announced during the service. This year’s competition featured four divisions: elementary, middle school, high school and university. 

A reception in the church’s fellowship hall follows the service.

The other symposium event is a 10 a.m. theatrical performance on Wednesday, Jan. 23, by the SaltWorks Theatre Company of Pittsburgh, in collaboration with Cabell County Schools. The performance takes place at the Joan C. Edwards Performing Arts Center.

Sponsors of the events are Marshall University Multicultural Affairs, in cooperation with the Mayor of Huntington; the Cabell County Board of Education; the Cabell County Public Library; the Huntington/Cabell County NAACP; The Herald-Dispatch, the Huntington Human Relations Commission and the West Virginia Higher Education Commission.

For more information, contact Maurice Cooley, interim vice president for Multicultural Affairs, at (304) 696-5430; Dr. Chris Green, co-chair of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium Committee, at (304) 696-6269; or the Rev. Paul Willis, co-chair of the symposium committee, at (304) 523-1712.