15 January 2024
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Wichitans gathered on Monday to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A civil rights movement leader, Dr. King advocated nonviolent means to end racial segregation. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, as he stood on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
The day started with the eighth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Heroes and Sheroes Breakfast at Wichita State University. During the packed event, a group sang spirituals, and the ARISE (African-Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble) Rising Star scholarship was presented.
Gerald Norwood, president of ARISE, talked to KSN News about the day’s importance and how the legacy of Dr. King lives on.
“As smart and intelligent as he was did not realize he would be able to accomplish more in his death than in his life. So that means that we all have a chance to look over the mountaintop and to see the journey as a destination, but it is ongoing, and everybody is contributing all the time,” Norwood said.
Contributing is how 125 Wichitans honored Dr. King. Volunteers worked to construct two Habitat for Humanity homes at Wichita’s Century II.
Danielle Johnson, executive director of Wichita Habitat for Humanity, said the organization honors King’s legacy through affordable housing solutions.
“Oftentimes, you hear that we are lacking housing, and you wonder what you can do about it. You can get out and volunteer, and this is one of the opportunities to do so. Volunteering alongside Habitat for Humanity and other organizations, and most importantly, the families looking for that home, that accessible home,” Johnson said.
To learn more about Wichita Habitat for Humanity, click here.