It’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day

martin-luther-king

Today is Martin Luther King Day.

A reminder, that Government offices are closed and there is no mail delivery.  The Daviess County Landfill is closed and there’s no trash pickup in Washington.  Those with Monday trash pickup should have it ready by 7-am tomorrow.

In Washington this evening there is a Martin Luther King Junior Commemoration Ceremony.  It was set for tonight but has been moved to this Sunday the 27th due to weather.    It’s at the Beulah AME Church at 805 West Walnut in Washington at 7-pm.  There’ll be music and special speakers and an offering taken for the West End Ministry. 

 Beulah AME Church Facebook Page

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Columbus man recalls seeing MLK Jr. in Memphis

(NETWORK INDIANA)   Jarvis Cooper is from Memphis, and was at a church there when Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke, just days before he was shot and killed in 1968. He said even though he was just 14, King’s speech had a lasting impact on his life.

“I was the first part of the school bussing, in a minority situation, so I thought it was very important to be a part of living out this dream,” said Cooper, who now runs Envision Organizational Consulting, in Columbus.

Cooper said he went to a church on a Wednesday night in April. He had never heard of King, who was in Memphis to support striking garbage workers. He was assassinated on April 4, the day after delivering a speech where he predicted he may not get to the promised land (paraphrased).

“It was a small church. But, we navigated our way up to the balcony. Standing in the balcony, looking down, there he was center stage. At that point in time, he didn’t mean that much to me. It was the first time I ever heard the name. Instantaneously he became my hero,” said Cooper.

Cooper said when King was murdered he was awestruck.

“It impacted my life, even to this day. I was so hurt having listened to his speech around the importance of bringing people together and inclusiveness…it just became something that really was meaningful to me.”

He said seeing and hearing speak in person was “touching inside out”.