Seattle/King County
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Commemoration Committee
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.
2018 to Present - A Summary of MLKCC Accomplishments Part 1
Formed and Coordinate the Annual Commemoration Anniversary of the Assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. –
April 4th, 2018, MLKCC hosted “ A Day of Remembrance” the 50th Anniversary of the Assassination of Dr. King at Mount Zion Baptist Church. At 6:01 pm, the exact time Dr. King was killed, a wreath was laid in front of a bust of Dr. King, the church bell tolled 50 times for each year since his murder as the names of 50 local departed civil rights leaders were read. Also, there was a free reception featuring a variety of ethnic dishes and during the main program, speakers represented a diversity of faiths, community leaders and elected officials. Rev. Dr. Samuel Berry McKinney, Mt. Zion Baptist Church Pastor Emeritus was the Honorary Chairperson.
On April 4, 2019 the 51st Anniversary commemoration was presented at Mt. Zion, with a wreath laying ceremony, 51 tolling of the church bell and on each strike the name of a local departed civil rights leader name was read. The theme was “A Day Of Remembrance & Awards Program”. The event commemorated the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. King and eight (8) awards were conferred on people whose work in the Civil Rights Movement exemplified the principles that guided Dr. King’s philosophy of non-violence and equal rights. Young Leadership Award – Jesse Johnson, Federal Way City Councilmember, Social Justice Award – Jimmy Matta, Mayor City of Burien, Community Organizing Award – Shaude Moore, Chair MLK Jr. Organizing Coalition, Advocacy Award - Jesse Wineberry, Chair I – 1000 Campaign, Legislative Leadership Award – Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos, Civil Rights Award - Gerald Hankerson, President NAACP Alaska, OR, & WA, Legacy Award – Velma Veloria, Co-Founder Coalition of Immigrants, Refugees & Communities of Color, and Lifetime Achievement Award – Larry Gossett, MLK County Councilmember.
April 4th, 2020, due to Covid-19, the 52nd Commemoration Event, was live-streamed with a wreath laying ceremony at El Centro De La Raza in front of the bust of Dr. King with commentaries by two MLKCC representatives. At 6:01 PM, people were encouraged to stay home, stay safe and take a moment to remember those who have gone before us or if you were in your car MLKCC asked them to honk their horn. The overall response from the community was excellent.
Our Philosophy
The Martin Luther King Commemoration Committee believes his-story or her-story is our-story. We will preserve, educate and empower people by teaching the legacy of Rev. Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement, through our commitment to promote and protect the human rights of every race, creed, religion, nationality, gender, activity limitation, participation restriction or sexual orientation.
Our History
Like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. it started with a DREAM. In February of 2018, a meeting was held with a broad cross section of faith and community based organizations, businesses, labor, and individuals to establish an organization to preserve, educate and empower people by hosting various events
throughout the year that would feature the history of Rev. Dr. King, the Civil Rights
Movement and local leaders that have made significant contributions for equality. At that meeting, the Martin Luther King Commemoration Committee (MLKCC) was
created. Read More