The John J. Pershing VA Medical Center staff will host a program honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at 10:30 a.m. Friday at the medical center, 1500 N. Westwood Blvd.
The “I have a dream,” celebrating MLK, program will take place on the hospital’s ground floor in Room GD-045A, which is behind the medical center elevators.
“Here at the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center, we are committed to honoring Dr. King’s work by recognizing the human dignity in all of the people we serve,” EEO Program Manager Wally Rucker said, “The national recurring theme of this federal holiday that marks Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth, is “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On, Not A Day Off!”
The invocation will be given by Chaplain Bruce Warein. The program will include readings of Dr. King’s speeches presented by area pastors, followed by a praise dance. The pastors will be reading excerpts from Dr. King’s speeches but they will have an opportunity to speak as well.
Speakers will be Bishop Ron Webb of Mount Calvary Powerhouse Church, Rev. Annette Joseph of Holy Cross Episcopal Church and Pastor Robinson of Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church. Praise dance will be performed by Johnny Johnson.
“It calls upon all of us to engage in public service and promote peaceful social change,” Rucker said. “Dr. King’s unfinished movement toward equality can be achieved by our united, enduring efforts. It is that understanding and the desire for unification and inclusion that will ultimately lead us to achieving his dream of equality. We celebrate this day in his honor, to help promote trust and inclusion within our facility, for the veterans that we serve, and ultimately promoting those ideas in the communities that they live in.”
The program is free and open to the public, Light refreshments will be available and the public is welcome to attend.
“We honor MLK Day annually in some way, whether through an in-house event (education, booths, etc.) or one that is open to the public, such as this one.” said African-American Special Emphasis Program Manager Wanda King.
A second Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration will at 11 a.m. Monday at the Historic Wheatley School, 921 Garfield St. Poplar Bluffian Erin Ceesay will be the keynote speaker. She is a quality assurance specialist with the Missouri Department of Mental Health.
Theme for this year’s event at Wheatley is “We are all one humanity” and the program is being coordinated by concerned citizens and the members of the Wheatley Historic Preservation Association Inc.
Dr. King, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, was born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta.