Hazelwood Shows Up for Annual Martin Luther King Jr Tribute

People packing a room at Hazelwood Civic Center East Sunday came out to honor the legacy of Martin Luther Kings Jr, and left with a positive attitude to start the new work week.

If you have ever attended the annual event, you know there are speeches and a candlelight ceremony.  But attendees also heard live jazz and watched a liturgical dance performance.

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Christopher Cross, an 8th grade student at Hazelwood Central Middle School and member of the Hazelwood School District’s SAIL program for gifted students, performed a dramatic interpretation of King’s last public address called “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top.” 

Charles Gooden, a representative of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., State Celebration Commission for Missouri, was on hand as well. He told those in attendance to continue moving forward and sharing their experiences about King with the next generation.

The 2013 theme of the Martin Luther King State Celebration was “Women Who Dare to Dream.” Hazelwood’s program featured two black women from the medicine and music fields. 

Keynote speaker and St. Louis native Brenda Battle, Vice President for Care Delivery Innovation and Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Chicago Medicine told the audience, “we all have a responsibility for the cause of justice."

"We must be willing to defend the powerless and to make sure those who are oppressed get a fair break,” she said.

If you are interested in helping to plan events like these for the city, consider joining the Hazelwood Community Enrichment Commission: Hazelwood's Community Enrichment Commission Looking for New Blood.