ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — At the Martin Luther King Jr. Center on Monday, folks from across the Quad Cities gathered to honor not only the man behind the day's holiday but the foundation he left for generations to build off of.
The MLK Jr. Memorial Service and Award Ceremony included a variety of performances from poets to city leaders.
"They used to give your fear-stricken heart sips of liquid courage," poet Aubrey Barnes read during the ceremony. "Intoxicating it with spirit willing to walk with wrongs. Though, now we in trenches."
His message helped others grow from the seeds that Dr. King planted not so long ago during the civil rights movement. Monday's gathering prioritized help for those who need the most support.
"A lot of times when we're making decisions, we try to make decisions that are going to have an impact for everyone," said Dr. Ladrina Wilson, CEO of the Quad Cities Chamber. "Well, we know that there are certain populations that are disproportionately impacted, we really need to be making decisions about our resources and how we apply them to those areas that have the greatest need."
"We need to open our ears, open our heart and be willing to make change together. We have to do it as a unit," said Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms.
Another message of building the house of change piece by piece for a better tomorrow. The overall message of Monday's service was that "change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle."
A message that those in the QC still hear and feel to this day.
"We need change. Because it does not matter if we are Black or white, and the same goes for what religions we practice," said another participant. " What really matters is what our heart says."
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