Quad Cities Residents Celebrate Legacy Of MLK, Jr.

Quad Cities residents gathered at Augustana College over the weekend for a community celebration and musical tribute to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"This is a commemoration, a celebration of the life, the leadership, the legacy and most of all, the love of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," said Kimberly Thompson, co-pastor at House of Fire Ministries in Rock Island.

As the Master of Ceremonies, Thompson led the evening of music, prayer, poetry and speeches honoring Dr. King.

The night also included the presentation of the annual Power of One Award, which goes to a person "providing leadership to empower, uplift and support the pursuit of social justice and peace." 

This year, the honor went to Dr. Christopher Whitt, Associate Professor and Chair of the political science department at Augustana College.

He's also the director of the college's Center for Inclusive Leadership and Equity. He has collaborated with the Rock Island Academy million fathers march and helped start the QC Empowerment Network.

Whitt moved from Baltimore to the Quad Cities a decade ago.

"I came here and I wasn't sure what to expect," Whitt said during his acceptance speech. "I ended up not having to give away any part of me. I didn't have to give away the part of me that believes in black excellence, that celebrates black excellence. I didn't have to give away the part of me that loves social justice. I didn't have to give away the part of me that was feeling and saying 'black lives matter' before it became cool."

Whitt said Dr. King didn't create a movement on his own — that he had thousands of people marching alongside him and sharing their time and resources in the fight for equality. Whitt said people need to come together like that today.

"If you haven't started, you can always start," he said. "There's always some space for you to be yourself, but to still rise up for so many other people. And to not be silent, to use that voice that God has given you. That voice can come in the form of speaking out, it can come in the form of just showing love and giving a hug, it can come in the form of when you see something wrong, saying that it's wrong."

"If you see something, say something" was a common thread throughout the night. It's rooted in the Dr. King quote, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Quiana Whitt, Chris Whitt's wife, is a teacher at Rock Island Academy. She shared a video of her students sharing what that quote means to them. Their responses included "I think it means that you have to fight for what's right instead of what's wrong in your life," "That if you don't speak up in life, no one will know your ideas and your ideas can change the world," and "When you speak, you can do great things."

The night's keynote speaker, Reverend Reginald W Williams, Jr., senior pastor at First Baptist Church of University Park in Chicago, emphasized this message in his own address to the crowd.

"Refuse to stand in silence," he said. "Speak up and speak out. When you see something — "

The crowd finished Williams' sentence with "say something."

"If you want to honor Dr. King, you also not just have to say something, but it's important what you say," Williams said. "Dr. King used his voice to not only refuse to stand in silence, but he also used his voice to resist the status quo. King's words were words of resistance."