SARASOTA MLK CELEBRATIONS HELD: “UNITY IN THE COMMUNITY”

Pictured are the 2019 honorees with (left to right) Jetson Grimes, Sarasota MLK Celebration Committee Chairperson; Greg Cruz, Community Service; Nina Turner, keynote speaker, Zaire Kekahuna-Samedi, Youth Social Justice Award; David Rubin, Education; Rev. Demetrius Jifunza, Drum Major for Justice and Euline Myrick, Community Service.

The celebration of Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Day, honoring the Civil Rights icon who dared to dream and bring about change in this country, was held over the weekend with many different activities. This year’s theme was “Unity in the Community”, which perpetuates the memory of Dr. King and his legacy of achievement through unity to future generations.
Hosted by the Sarasota MLK Celebration Committee, events celebrating the holiday honoring Dr. King serve as advocates of social, racial and ethnic harmony, cornerstones of Dr.
King’s dream for justice, fairness and equality.
The 38th Annual MLK Memorial Breakfast on Monday brought together nearly 500 citizens of all ethnicities. The 2019 award recipients were Zaire KekahunaSamedi, Youth Social Justice Award; Greg Cruz and WoodlawnGalilee Cemetery Task Force, Community Service Awards; David Rubin, Education Award and Rev. Demetrius Jifunza, Drug Major for Justice Award. A special award was presented by Jetson Grimes for his many years of service as chairperson of the Sarasota MLK Celebration Committee.
Keynote speaker for the breakfast was Nina Turner, a CNN political commentator, Ms.
Turner offered a powerful narrative of overcoming adversity and put political and social trends into an unparalleled perspective. She serves as president of Our Revolution, an organization created to revitalize American democracy, empower progressive leaders and elevate political consciousness.
Music for the breakfast was provided by Greatness Beyond Measure, Jay Camero, and David Morgans Sweeting from the Sarasota Opera.
Renee James Gilmore and Henry “Hank Battie served as Mistress and Master of Ceremonies.
A march from the Robert L. Taylor Community Complex to the MLK Park followed the breakfast. Residents also took to the trolleys to the beach to remember those civil rights leaders who peacefully fought segregation on Sarasota County beaches in the 1950s. Their efforts will now be permanently memorialized with a designation on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.
Activities culminated at the MLK Park with music, food, spoken word and much more.