At Martin Luther King Jr. gatherings in the Pacific Northwest, a call to action

Note: OPB was a sponsor of this event.

iUrban Teen, a Vancouver, Washington-based nonprofit, has hosted an event to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the last 16 years. Over breakfast at the ilani Casino in Ridgefield, Washington, attendees sit back and listen to speakers and musical performances honor Dr. King’s legacy and how it shows up in the Northwest today.

This year, attendees were invited to take a more active role in the festivities by signing in solidarity to ask elected leaders “to oppose policies and actions of the current administration that undermine our civil rights, democratic institutions, racial equity, immigrant protections, and economic justice.”

iUrban Teen’s executive director Deena Pierott said the organization will collect the signatures and deliver them to local, state, and federal leaders.

“We’re going to use that and send it to the legislative staff to try and show that these voices matter, that we really want to make an impact,” Pierott said.

Speakers took time to connect today’s political climate with the environment of Dr. King’s time.

“As all of us have worked hard to make sense of the past year, it’s so very clear that the words, examples, and role modeling of Dr. King are at their most powerful when the world seems most chaotic,” said event MC Paul Speer.

“The world has been here before, and in unity, we again will overcome.”

Children’s Defense Fund president Rev. Starsky Wilson provided the morning’s keynote address. He stressed the need for communities to find a way forward together.

“We have to get from what’s happening in Minnesota to a place of peace in each of our communities, including Vancouver,” Wilson said.

Wilson noted that the methods that worked in the 1960s — “marching, organizing, building labor unions” — can be used again.

“The call for us today is to begin again.”

Some of the funds from the breakfast go to scholarships and other support for the youth iUrban Teen works with in academic and afterschool programming for students of color. Pierott said the organization is more than just learning about science, technology, art, and math — it’s about building confidence.

“It goes beyond trying to expose them to career opportunities, it’s making sure they know that they belong, that’s what we represent,” she said.

Pierott added she wanted attendees to leave the morning with awareness of what’s happening both locally and federally — but also with hope for the future — including the thousands of teens the organization works with.

Mikayla Weary, an alumni from the program, highlighted the education opportunities available to her through the program. She said she looks to Dr. King’s words not as a lesson in a textbook, but as a manual for how to move forward when times are tumultuous.

“Honoring Dr. King for me isn’t just about quoting him, but it’s about following the instructions when history starts showing that it’s looping,” Weary said.

“It’s not about remembering the dream, it’s about continuing the work.”