Elkhart celebrates MLK Day

 

ELKHART, Ind.-- Honoring the legacy of the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. meant a day of prayer, music, art, community, and remembrance in Elkhart.

"He stood for a legacy that meant we all need to serve together," said Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson. "We all need to be considered in an equitable way in order for all of our talents to be at the table."

The Elkhart Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo (IBE) celebrated MLK Day with music and prayer, featuring some words from Roberson, the city's first Black mayor.

"I wasn't trying to be the first black mayor," he said. "I was trying to be an excellent mayor that left a legacy."

"Right now, we have our first African American mayor, we don't want him to be the last African American mayor," said Robert Taylor, president of the IBE Elkhart Chapter.

Over at the Tolson Center, stories were shared from some of Elkhart's "elders," featured in a documentary from the Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary (AMBS).

"'Art for a Change' is basically looking at art as a force for change, as part of the civil rights movement," said Nekeisha Alayna Alexis from AMBS. "We are looking at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day through the lens of art."

The public was invited for a screening of the documentary, crafts, performances from the Tolson choir and dance team, and speakers.

"The center has really served as a beacon of light, as a hub," said Breanna Allen, executive director of the Tolson Center for Community Excellence. "It has been that safe space, particularly for African Americans."

The Tolson Center used to be the "Colored Community Center" in the early 1920's when it was first established.

"It dates back to the 1920s with the women's suffrage movement and just turmoil over race relations and the great migration that was happening in our country," Allen said. "And African Americans settled here in this community and really built a village."

Today, it stands as a resource for the community while honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

"An individual person can make a change," Allen said. "MLK was an individual person and the resounding effects that he has had over decades have been instrumental in our country."