On a day when many agreed it was too cold for a march, Hopkinsville’s celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day occurred indoors at two venues.
The first event was at the Hopkinsville Community College Auditorium, where organizers with the Human Rights Commission of Hopkinsville-Christian County showcased student talent and highlighted the theme of “Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence 365.”
The second event, at the Alhambra Theatre, featured the world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers. The a cappella group from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee was established in 1871, when formerly enslaved men and women were among the university’s first students.
Christian County Middle School had the largest number of students present for the HCC program and won the school challenge sponsored by Tom Bell State Farm insurance agency. It was the second year in row CCMS claimed the title, so the school will keep the traveling trophy for another year.
This was the 16th year for a school challenge. Bell said he established the award to get more students interested in King’s message as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement.
Nicole Poindexter, an administrator with Christian County Public Schools, gave the keynote address. She spoke about standing up for freedoms, working for justice and protecting democracy. Her daughter, Murray State University student Jada Poindexter, read her poem, “A Legacy of Change.”
The program also included a dance performance by students Taylor Butler-Gilmore and Malaya Wesley, and a reading of portions of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech by Christian County High School student Stephan Logan Jr.
Raychel Farmer, executive director of the Human Rights Commission, asked the audience to think about how to continue King’s work today.
Recalling a quote attributed to King, she said, “The time is always right to do the right thing.”
At the Alhambra program, Fisk Jubilee director Dr. G. Preston Wilson Jr. spoke about group’s history. Wilson, who is Fisk graduate, noted the group’s first European tour in 1873 raised $150,000. That money helped construct Jubilee Hall, the first permanent structure on the Nashville campus.
Best known for preserving Negro spirituals, the Fisk group also performs patriotic and popular music. Their first song for Monday’s concert was “The Star Spangled Banner” and audience members stood.
Jennifer P. Brown is co-founder, publisher and editor of Hoptown Chronicle. You can reach her at editor@hoptownchronicle.org. Brown was a reporter and editor at the Kentucky New Era, where she worked for 30 years. She is a co-chair of the national advisory board to the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues, governing board past president for the Kentucky Historical Society, and co-founder of the Kentucky Open Government Coalition. She serves on the Hopkinsville History Foundation's board.
