OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Multiple events across the Omaha metro area celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day. At a luncheon downtown Rev. Dr. Earle Fisher from Memphis Abyssinian Baptist Church gave an impassioned speech asking the audience to not "romanticize" King's legacy.
- “The modern MLK day is used as a day where people evoke Dr. King’s name but they do not share Dr. King’s nature,” said Fisher.
- Fisher also noted that it was inauguration day. “Trump’s policies embody division and exclusion and authoritarianism,” Fisher said. “Built on a foundation of white supremacy and economic exploitation.”
- Tina Forte, director of the young people’s department at St. John AME church brought a group of teenagers to the event, emphasizing the importance of teaching history.
- At the Highlander on North 30th Street, United Way volunteers packed snack kits for youth-oriented nonprofits.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Tina Forte: “We can’t move our history forward we don’t teach our young people.”
Brenda Barnes: “The accomplishments that he did, at that time, changed everything that is now.”
There were Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations across the metro area on Monday, including here at the Hilton where IMA held its annual unity luncheon.
I’m your neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel.
“The MLK Day of the 21st Century seeks to romanticize and de-radicalize Dr. King’s legacy.”
The Rev. Dr. Earle Fisher from Memphis Tennessee delivered the keynote address at the luncheon, hosted by the interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.
Fisher warned against what he called the “whitewashing” of King’s legacy, asked the audience to not forget that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was often unpopular with the public: speaking out against the war in Vietnam, for example.
“The modern MLK day is used as a day where people evoke Dr. King’s name but they do not share Dr. King’s nature,” said Fisher.
He also said inauguration day was the “elephant in the room.”
“Trump’s policies embody division and exclusion and authoritarianism,” Fisher said. “Built on a foundation of white supremacy and economic exploitation.”
Tina Forte, director of the young people’s department at St. John AME church brought a group of teenagers to the event, emphasizing the importance of teaching history.
"Today, when we leave the banquet, we're going on over to the Black history museum so that they can see the history of the civil rights movement in the Omaha area," she said.
Scholarships and community awards were also presented, including recognition for our own North Omaha neighborhood reporter, Melissa Wright.
Meanwhile, a few blocks to the north at the Highlander, United Way volunteers participated in the day of service — packing snack kits for youth-focused nonprofits in the city.
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