The Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition of Madison and Dane County hosted the 40th Annual Madison & Dane County MLK Day Observance on Monday.
Under the direction of Tamera Stanley, the MLK Community Choir, filled the rotunda of the Wisconsin State Capitol with “Freedom Songs.”
The singing was followed by a 6 p.m. program held at the Overture Center Capitol Theater.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Dane County Executive Melissa Agard presented the Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian awards to community leaders Charles Tubbs Sr. and Sheray Wallace.
Keynote speaker Bishop Vashti McKenzie currently serves as the president and general secretary of the National Council of Churches, providing leadership to 37 denominations representing 100,000 churches, according to the printed biography.
McKenzie delivered a sermon-like speech entitled “Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy through Nonviolence.”
The bishop drew parallels between the struggles faced by African Americans and the Greek myth of Tantalus, a character condemned to eternal thirst and hunger.
“We live in a land of plenty, but for far too many people, it is just beyond their reach,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie highlighted the systemic barriers that limit access to healthcare, nutrition, housing and quality education for many in the Black community.
Despite these challenges, McKenzie found hope in the power of faith in God and the belief that we are all “Human-Americans.”
Quoting King, McKenzie emphasized the importance of recognizing the inherent dignity of all people and the interconnectedness of society, likening it to a thread in a piece of clothing.
“We are all interconnected threads in a garment,” McKenzie said. “When one thread begins to unravel, it endangers the entire piece because no thread exists in isolation.”
McKenzie highlighted the principles of nonviolence championed by King and Henry David Thoreau by emphasizing that nonviolence is not a passive approach, but rather one takes strength and emotional and spiritual maturity.
The bishop also differentiated between the “heart” and “soul” of America, with the soul representing the connection to a higher authority that calls for justice and the defense of the oppressed.
The heart, she said, is the day-to-day acts of kindness, using the community support for the California wildfires as an example.
In closing, the speaker called for a commitment to the American ideal of liberty and justice for all, recognizing the ongoing struggle for freedom and equality.
“The truth cannot destroy us,” McKenzie said, quoting the 1619 Project.
Towards the end of the program, Rabbi Renée Bauer and Sadat Abiri, wearing a keffiyeh, stood together to deliver a litany, an unspoken gesture of solidarity between the Jewish and Palestinian communities.
The audience was brought to its feet several times throughout the speech and after musical selections.
Notable musical selections included the Black National Anthem “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” a duet of “Precious Lord Take My Hand” and “We Shall Overcome” sung by the entire theater hand-in-hand.