There would be no Martin Luther King Jr. Day without Coretta Scott King.
With the theme “Soul, Spirit and Sacrifice,” Bloomington highlighted the advocacy of Coretta Scott King that helped keep the Civil Rights Movement alive. Hundreds gathered inside a nearly-full Buskirk-Chumley Theater on Monday to celebrate her work for the city's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration.
“(This year’s theme) places special emphasis on the women who carried the movement forward alongside the men,” James Sanders, a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission member, said. “We are intentionally uplifting the often-overlooked contributions of Black women whose strength, leadership and sacrifice helped shape the fight for justice.”
The celebration began with a performance by the IU African American Choral Ensemble singing “O-o-h Child," by Five Stairsteps, audience members stood up, clapping their hands and swaying to the beat. They finished with a song encouraging the audience to "lead with love."
“Sometimes we play cards that are not always the cards that bring unity and bring hope, but we encourage you to lead with love,” Ensemble Director Raymond Wise said. “We can choose to lead with love, or we can lead with hate, but if we lead with love, we might just make a difference.”
Mayor Kerry Thomson presented the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award to Ruth Aydt. Aydt worked the last decade to consolidate data documenting racial inequality in the Monroe County criminal justice system with the Monroe County NAACP.
The award is presented annually at the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration to recognize a Monroe County resident, business or group that made contributions to racial justice and human rights.
Traci Parker, associate professor of history at the University of California, Davis, spoke on Coretta Scott King’s influence on social justice movements from civil rights and beyond.
“Women are the soul of a movement,” Parker said. “I also think that she understood that the struggle changes and morphs every generation, so we can never be compliant, and it'll look different for every generation, but we have to be committed to justice for everyone."
Parker highlighted Coretta Scott King’s contribution to social justice outside of her role as Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife and a mother. She spoke to her successes and struggles, creating a national holiday for her deceased husband and advocacy for peace in Vietnam and an end to South African apartheid.
The annual Bloomington celebration is planned by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission. The commission was founded in 1993 to recognize the importance of recognizing the deceased civil rights leader’s legacy.
“I wanted to be an active contributor to the Bloomington community,” Sanders said. “The mission of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission — promoting justice, inclusion and unity — closely aligns with my own values. Joining the commission felt like a meaningful way to serve, give back and help advance the principles that Dr. King stood for.”
The commission encourages making the holiday “a day on, not a day off” by volunteering in the community. Volunteer opportunities throughout January include work with organizations like Wheeler Mission, My Sister’s Closet and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington. Those interested in serving can access a sign-up page on the Bloomington Volunteer Network website.
“Celebrating Dr. King’s legacy is essential because it reminds us of the sacrifices made so that we can enjoy the rights and freedoms we have today," Sanders said. "It creates space for reflection, education and recommitment, especially during times when unity, justice and understanding are still deeply needed."
