(Photo: WRN)
Hundreds of people gathered at the Capitol over the noon hour Monday, for an annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.
An afternoon of songs and poetry helped honor the work of the civil rights leader. Jonathan Overby asked those in attendance to reflect on the impact King has had, and the work that still needs to be done. “Dr. King was a great tree, whose life was rooted in a cause that has yet to be fully conquered,” Overby said during the event.
Guest Speaker Valerie Daniels-Carter, a philanthropist and entrepreneur, urged those in attendance not to not let racism and discrimination stop them from success. “Greatness and excellence are forces that we are going to have to contend with, if we’re going to seize and take Wisconsin to the next level,” she said in an often emotional speech that chronicled some of the struggles she has faced.
The ceremony at the Wisconsin Capitol is the oldest official state celebration of Dr. King in the nation.