With recent events showing a city divided on different issues, this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration’s theme will be unity.
The weekend-long celebration which lasts from January 14-16 and finishing up with a parade on Monday, is put on by the Black Cultural Council of Odessa.
Black Cultural Council of Odessa President Jo Ann Davenport says the goal for this week’s celebration is to remember the teachings of Martin Luther King Jr. and unify as one.
“Dr. King is always about service and when you look at what’s happening all around the world right now, we need unity,” Davenport said. “Our city is so divided. We have to come together and this is what we came up with as the theme for unity.”
The weekend celebration will begin Saturday with the fourth annual MLK Showcase Basketball Tournament beginning at 9 a.m. at Woodson Boys and Girls Club.
Sunday’s Gospel Celebration will take place at 3:30 p.m. at Odessa First Methodist Church on 415 N. Lee St.
This year’s speaker for the Gospel Celebration is Reverend Reginald Reid from Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Shreveport, La.
“He’s a dynamic speaker,” Davenport said of Reid. “I know he’s going to bless our hearts. We’re going to have different choirs from the city performing. On Sundays, our Gospel Celebration is always a big success. That’s when the community comes together.”
Monday’s events will begin with the King Brunch from 10 a.m.-noon at Woodson Community Center and will include former Odessa City Councilwoman Mari Willis as the speaker.
“When looking for a speaker, it was a no-brainer to bring in Willis,” Davenport said. “She’s very qualified. She’s very knowledgeable and with everything that our city is going through now, we need a knowledgeable person to inform us and give us direction as to what we need to do to unify and go forward. She’s the ideal person for the job.”
Following that will be the Freedom March which will begin at 1 p.m. at the Southside Senior Citizens Center and end at the Woodson Center.
Monday will conclude with a candlelight vigil put on by the Odessa Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority which will take place at the Woodson Community Center immediately following the parade.
While most cities across the country choose to do a one-day event for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Odessa has traditionally used a weekend-long celebration each year.
“One day does not do enough justice,” Davenport said. “In Odessa, our BCCO motto is we go big or we go home. There’s no way we can do it in one day because in order for us to include and unify the city and include the seniors, the youth and everyone, it takes more than one day to celebrate. That’s why we decided to do a weekend.”
Regardless of what’s going on around the world and in the city, Davenport says the focus remains on the community.
“Our focus is about unifying the community and bringing the community together,” Davenport said. “Each and every event, we strive to unify the community. We reach out to be inclusive. We always have kids. Coach (Jeff) Ellison and Permian’s football team and coach Dusty Ortiz and the Odessa High football team will be there as well. I got off the phone with some UTPB people too. It’s about uniting all the people in our city. We’re not about dividing our city. We’re about unifying it.”
