Several Bellingham events honor legacy of slain civil-rights leader around MLK holiday
Update Jan. 17, 2020: Ed Bereal will not be able to attend the Community Food Co-op’s event.
Several events are planned locally to mark Martin Luther King Day, the federal holiday honoring the slain civil-rights leader — including a day-long conference, a speech and a day of volunteer service.
“It’s a great way for the community to be connected,” said Larry Estrada, professor emeritus at Western Washington University and a member of the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force which is a conference sponsor.
Estrada said the Saturday conference is called “The Fierce Urgency of Now” and features workshops that represent different aspects of the community.
“It’s an informal context where we can share ideas,” Estrada said. “It’s an opportunity to connect and reconnect and move forward.”
Several of the workshops address topics related to the experience of lesbian, gay and transgender people.
“There have been incidents in Whatcom County schools related to those kinds of issues,” he said. “We hope to be able to spread understanding. This is a group that needs support.”
Celebrations of MLK Day come as the personal finance website WalletHub released a report on “2020 States with the Most Racial Progress.”
Washington state ranked 16th for racial integration and 32nd for racial progress over time.
Whatcom County’s population is 85% white and 15% racial minorities, according to census data, but voters recently elected Satpal Sidhu as county executive, a first-generation immigrant and a member of the Sikh faith.
Human rights conference
“The Fierce Urgency of Now” features free workshops from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at Whatcom Community College’s Syre Student Center.
It’s presented by the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force and includes sessions on gender identity and sexual expression, the criminalization of immigrants, and housing as a human right.
Mount Baker Theatre event
“... with Liberty and Justice for All,” Bellingham’s annual program honoring King’s legacy, is free from noon to 1 p.m. Monday in the Mount Baker Theatre, 104 Commercial St.
It’s sponsored by the city of Bellingham.
Featured speaker is Clyde Ford, a Bellingham writer whose works include ”We Can All Get Along: 50 Steps You Can Take to Help End Racism.” Also speaking are Darrell Hillaire of Lummi Nation and the film company Children of the Setting Sun Productions, and Bellingham Mayor Seth Fleetwood.
Donations will be accepted for the Bellingham Food Bank.
‘Keeping the Dream Alive’
Community Food Co-op presents “Keeping the Dream Alive!” its 22nd annual MLK event, free at 7 p.m. Monday in the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship church, 1207 Ellsworth St.
Musical guest will be Checo Tohomaso, who played keyboards and percussion and sang background vocals for Marvin Gaye’s last European tour and also performed with Lionel Richie, the Commodores, and others.
Speakers include Bellingham artist Ed Bereal, whose recent Whatcom Museum exhibit challenged racial stereotypes; Kunbi Ajiboye, associate director for student life and development at Whatcom Community College; diversity advocate Terrance Morris; Vernon Damani Johnson, professor of political science at Western Washington University and co-founder of the Whatcom Human Rights Task Force.
Refreshments will served after the presentations during the MLK Day open mic, where participants can share a 3-minute poem, story, or song on topics of diversity or human rights. Contact karlm@communityfood.coop to register.
Whatcom Creek work party
A work party on Whatcom Creek to honor King’s commitment to public service is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at Whatcom Falls Park. to plant native trees and shrubs to improve water quality and salmon habitat. This volunteer event will conclude with pizza and a raffle.
Volunteers will plant native trees and shrubs along Whatcom Creek to improve water quality and salmon habitat. It’s sponsored by the city of Bellingham, Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association and Washington Trails Association.
Participants should meet near the restrooms south of the fish hatchery. Tools, and gloves will be provided, along with free pizza and coffee.
Breakfast at WWU
WWU alumnus Jesse Moore will speak at the free event from 9-10:30 a.m. Monday in Viking Commons. Moore graduated from WWU in 2005 and was president of WWU’s Black Student Union. Since then, he has been political director for President Obama’s North Carolina campaign, a White House speechwriter, associate director for Public Engagement for the Obama White House and vice president for Rock the Vote. He is CEO and founder of Common Thread Strategies.
Village Books Read-In
Village Books hosts its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Read-in from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday at 1200 11th St. in Fairhaven.
Volunteers will read a selection of topic books for children. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, is scheduled to read between 11 a.m. and noon.
This story was originally published January 16, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
