ST. LOUIS — It's a day of reflection and reverence for Dr. Martin Luther King. St. Louisans braved near-zero temperatures Monday morning to celebrate King's legacy at the 39th YMCA Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast.
The ceremony featured music, remarks from St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, moments to award local community leaders, and a platform to propel the next generation of change-makers.
Liliana Boyd, a senior at Clayton High School, takes the stage to read an excerpt of her writings on Dr. King. She said, “Economic stability is a civil right just like any other human right.”
Boyd is this year’s first-place YMCA MLK Essay Scholarship winner. She wrote about how Dr. King's stance on solving poverty is still relevant today.
“I thought it was especially striking because America is one of the richest countries in the world, yet millions of people are living in poverty," Boyd said before accepting the first-place prize.
Other young speakers take the stage as fervent young faces look on from the audience.
Jones said the holiday is about pushing Dr. King's principles of nonviolence and education forward through the city’s youngest residents.
"Our youth incidents are down 50%, and that’s because we make a market investment in our youth and young people," Jones said. "They are our future, I know it sounds cliché. But, we want to make sure they have safe spaces to have fun, be kids.”
She said one of those spaces is the Bayer YMCA.
“We have a teen tech center," said Kemet Hetep, executive director of the Bayer YMCA. “We also are part of a nationwide program called Boys and Young Men of Color, which focuses on young men ages 11-17 who are of African American and Latino descent."
"Us focusing on youth and Dr. King's dream for our children to not be judged on their skin but the content of their character is something we promote," he said.
Delivering remarks in the Bayer YMCA gym is a full-circle moment for Jones.
“When I was a teenager, they used to host parties like every month," Jones said. "I used to come here with my girlfriends and there were no problems. We’d have fun and dance.”
She said the city is partnering with groups like the YMCA to create more opportunities for youth to have fun in a safe space.
She added, "We provide resources through our OPV Kickbacks. We have a schedule going with our Children Youth and Families. We're partnering with the schools. It's an all-hands-on-deck effort to protect our babies."
Young St. Louisans grasped Dr. King's message of peace and prosperity for all people and said they plan to push it forward.
Liliana Boyd finished reading her essay on stage by saying, “I will continue to be in this fight because it is my legacy.”
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