The community came together for the 32nd annual MLK Day Celebration at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds Jan. 19. The event honored the legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the push forward of building community and uniting the nation in a nonviolent way.

Bremerton High School’s NJROTC program performed the Presentation of Colors as the event opened with the national anthem. Following was the MLK Community Choir.

Proclamations were shared by Chair of Kitsap County Commissioners Oran Root, Mayor of Bremerton Greg Wheeler, and Mayor of Poulsbo Ed Stern. “[MLK] set the tone for the entire nonviolent movement. Through his march on Washington and the ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, he reached out to a national and worldwide audience and was recognized by people from all walks of life as the conscience of an entire nation,” said Wheeler. “MLK was the youngest man ever awarded a Nobel Peace Prize when he received it in 1964, and it was a profound recognition of the need to overcome oppression without resorting to violence.”

John Farrior with the Ebenezer African Methodist Episcopal Church opened the celebration with The Occasion, remembering Dr. King’s legacy and putting emphasis on love for others. “We see that we still have a significant racial divide in our country,” said Farrior. “The marches, protests, and even visions among friends and families show that racism and discrimination did not end with the Civil Rights Movement. There is still much work to be done today.”

Keynote speaker Reverend Dennis G. Payne II is an ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and one of the sponsors of the celebration. As executive ambassador and legislative advocate for the Coalition of African and African-American Pastors (CAAAP), Payne meets regularly with city leaders, county commissioners, and state legislators to advance faith-informed policy priorities. He spoke on his deep commitment to systems rooted in compassion and justice. Payne shared his dedication to helping individuals and communities to discover and exercise their given gifts for the common good.

Central Kitsap High School student David McClain gave a speech as well, highlighting the need to move past fear as the nation moves forward. “Fear and purpose stand in the same place, and we must decide which one moves first,” said McClain. “Dr. King once said, ‘If you cannot fly, then run; If you cannot run, then walk; If you cannot walk, then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving.’ Progress isn’t about speed, but it is more about direction, and that movement rooted in purpose is how change stays.”

The celebration ended with the crowd singing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’ a song often referred to as “The Black National Anthem,” which was originally written as a poem and transformed into a song in 1899.