Submitted by Jan Stevenson
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward,” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., February 12, 1965, Selma, Alabama).
A Martin Luther King Day celebration is beginning to take shape as community members are organizing with 365 days ahead of them to bring the town together and re-awaken the downtown streets in celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. here in Sapulpa, OK. This event is set to take place on January 17, 2022.
Through extensive research performed at the Sapulpa Library Genealogy Department, the last known parade held in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Sapulpa was on Monday, January 17, 2005. In 2005 many community members came together in honor of Dr. King and marched the streets for “The Necessity of Unity.” During the 2005 celebration, many town organizations came together, such as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Society of Sapulpa High School, and there were great speakers such as former Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Tom Colbert.
The Committee for the 2022 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade is being assembled starting January 18, 2021. Please call, text, or email committee members, Vanorr Leo Burkhead III at (918) 812-8032 or email vanburkhead3@gmail.com or Jennifer Stevenson (539) 204-2913, for donations, volunteering, participating in the events, recommendations for speakers, and a Grand Marshall, or for more information.
The Day of Martin Luther King Jr recognition should not be forgotten.
Follow the Sapulpa Times over the next year for more articles on the significant events leading to the event that is scheduled for January 17, 2022 in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
