Ceesay among speakers set for MLK Day event at Wheatley School

Poplar Bluffian Erin Ceesay will be the keynote speaker for the local Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration beginning at 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at the Historic Wheatley School, 921 Garfield St.

Ceesay “is a young progressive person from the community,” a planning committee member said. She is a graduate of Rust College and Liberty University, where she earned a master’s degree. She is a quality assurance specialist with the Missouri Department of Mental Health.

Theme for this year’s event is “We are all one humanity.”

One event organizer said the theme “We are all one humanity is personal to me” and one of things in which Dr. King believed. “Things matter; every one matters. The organizer feels an urgency now and believes it needs immediate attention.”

Prayer for the city will be offered by Rev. Carl Williams of the Bread of Life Church in Parma, Missouri. Rev. Annette Joseph of Holy Cross Episcopal Church will pray for the city and Rev. Andrew Jefferson of the Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church will lead prayer for the nation.

Tributes in song will be provided by Janeece and Ashley Matlock. Dr. Scott Dill, Poplar Bluff R-I school superintendent, also will present a tribute.

The program is being coordinated by citizens and the members of the Wheatley Historic Preservation Association Inc.

Dr. King, born Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. A Baptist minister and social activist, Dr. King led the civil rights movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until his death in 1968. He to national prominence as head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which promoted nonviolent tactics.