A story by reporter Jackie Majerus:
Thanks in part to an anonymous donor, a community celebration in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day is on for Monday, a Bristol NAACP leader said.
Nicole Walker-Massari, acting president of the local NAACP branch, said the 1 p.m. event will be in the auditorium of Memorial Boulevard School.
"Any and everybody" should come to the celebration, said Walker-Massari. "All are welcome."
An anonymous donor gave the $125 needed to cover the cost of the insurance the city requires for use of the auditorium, she said.
Walker-Massari said she was surprised by the donation.
"I thought it was very generous," said Walker-Massari.
Last week, when the event seemed in jeopardy over the cost of the insurance, Bristol school Superintendent Phil Streifer and Mayor Art Ward offered to share the expense and pick up the tab.
But Walker-Massari though they appreciated the offer, the donation took care of the insurance cost.
The celebration will include song, dance and some oratory, according to Walker-Massari.
She said the choir from the Grace Apostolic Church in Terryville will sing."They are good," said Walker-Massari.
A small group of girls from the dance ministry at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church will also perform, said Walker-Massari.
She said the Rev. Stanley Kemmerer of Trinity Episcopal Church will speak, and Kevin Barnett, who will graduate from Southern Connecticut State University in May, will recite King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
Bob Brown, an active member of the city's informal multi-cultural committee, will also speak, said Walker-Massari.
She said the mayor will be invited to make some remarks as well. [He said Friday that he is speaking.]
Many of Bristol's clergy are expected to attend the celebration.
City Councilor Craig Minor, who is a member of the Bristol NAACP branch and has done some work on the event, said he's hoping a lot of people will attend.
"There was a really good turnout two years ago," said Minor.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
17 comments:
Since this sounds like a gathering exclusively of the local "angry black people" and ultra liberal whites, I'll find something else to do thanks.
.....7:56 - should attend to find out the truth about how wrong your interpretation is and how great the event can be.
Sorry, I can't go, I have a real job. I wish I was on welfare or had a job as a government worker (almost the same thing) so I could have the day off like all these people.
who cares i don't see that he was a great man anyway the whites and blacks still don't get along in alot of places
Did the police dept. assign people to this gathering?
Steve,
Is this what your blog has become? I thought you were going to monitor this more. I mean references to water mellon, fried chicken, etc? We need to be better than that!
I'm sorry. I meant to hit the delete button on a few of those!
And now I've tossed a handful of comments in the electronic trash bin.
what a shame that some of the most bigoted people can't try to understand others and the fact that "tolerance" even surrounds their irrational views - "if you shut the door, only darkness prevails."
Good program, pertinent and enjoyable.
Poor showing on part of the community, all groups.
Hope that next year will be better.
Looks like current NAACP president is trying and with any help, will do a good job.
King was a great man. It was a tragedy that he was killed for many reasons. One is the state of the black community in this country today. It could use his leadership. Jesse Jackson, Sharpton and (Hartford's) Atty Britton are terrible leaders in comparison to King. King was about self-determination not just justice through government action. Why can't the left get it right?
Although we all know the great things that Dr. King stood for we can't but help to see that the local NAACP only stands for going after our local police department.
After their demand for an investigation on the police department and three different organizations that they asked to investigate did, each came up with the same thing, that the police department did nothing wrong!
THE NAACP NEVER APOLOGIZED.
What did they do, the State Chapter of the NAACP left Bristol and hasn't been seen since. The president of the NAACP resigned quietly and the current president stated in the paper that he didn't want the job but took it because there was no one else.
Please, remember that the people that supported Dr. King in his fight and walked with him side by side were both black and white.
If King were here today, he'd march on the BPD. It's a racist cesspool.
No wonder decent people are angry and disgusted with Bristol, given the bigoted comments posted. I can only imagine what poor Steve had to read and delete.
Thank you for sparing us, Steve. The ones you allowed are bad enough.
This is outdated info. The new leadership of the Bristol NAACP chapter wants nothing to do with the old leadership that created all the turmoil and animosity. The new leadership is doing things like co-sponsoring a basketball league with the Bristol PD, participating in the Reverse Holiday Parade, and the Martin Luther King Day event at the Boulevard School. Give them a chance.
I thought it was so disgraceful that former President Clinton was caught dozing off a the ceremony he was attending AND HE WAS SITTING RIGHT BEHIND THE SPEAKER!
Clinton was just being honest.
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