The holiday morning march and subsequent gathering in a Liberty Center banquet hall also includes honoring dozens of Lakota school students for their winning essays around the themes of America’s recognition of the famed civil rights leader.
Gail Webster, longtime organizer of the annual events, said march and celebration help strengthen the bonds between two of Butler County’s largest and fastest-growing townships.
“West Chester and Liberty townships are already joined at the hip through the Lakota schools,” said Webster.
“We are neighbors who live, work, learn, play and worship together all the time. It makes sense to continue and to encourage unity so that both townships are strengthened by what each one has to offer.”
“The Martin Luther King Day events provide families who might not come in direct contact with each other the opportunity to forge new bonds with potential friends who live nearby, or at least to find something in common with each other. Once we get to know each other as individuals, our differences take a back seat to preconceived notions we hold of those whose background might be different from ours,” she said.
Like recent years, the “March for Unity” will follow a symbolic route that connects West Chester and Liberty townships.
Event officials said the entire community is invited to gather at the southwest corner of the Floor & Decor parking lot (7250 Cabela Drive, West Chester) at the intersection of Tylers Place Boulevard and Cabela Drive at 9:30 a.m.
Participants will then proceed to Liberty Center’s Sabin Hall, where the community program will begin at approximately 10:00 a.m.
Lakota officials said this year’s “The Mountaintop Today” contest theme challenged students to read or listen to Dr. King’s entire “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech and identify one part that speaks to them or reflects something in their own life, community or the world they live in today.
Students were then asked to relate that message to their own life and provide specific examples for how they can help change the world and impact future generations, said school officials.
All winning students, who were chosen among nearly 700 entries, will be recognized during the program, which also includes a keynote address and community participation in several songs.
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