SUNDERLAND — The Human Rights Task Force will host its annual commemoration to honor the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., which will include an anti-racism standout, on Monday, Jan. 19.
The event will take place at the intersection of Routes 116 and 47 in the town center. The standout, during which participants will hold signs expressing their opposition to racism and discrimination, will be held from 8:30 to 9 a.m.
Attendees will then gather in front of the First Congregational Church for a brief ceremony from 9 to 9:30 a.m. to sing, share personal reasons for showing up to honor King and perhaps share a favorite quote of his as a community.
Attendees are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items that will be donated to the Amherst Survival Center, which serves Sunderland as well as other surrounding towns.
“Thinking of his courage and resolve helps keep me moving forward during these very dark and painful days,” Kim Audette, an event organizer, said in a statement. “Honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by ‘standing out,’ sharing his good works and good words, I am reminded of a more peaceful, loving and inclusive vision for our communities. That is what gets me out on these frigid New England mornings.”
In a statement, longtime Human Rights Task Force member Diane Mercomes spoke to an amplified importance in spreading King’s message.
“This year, remembering and celebrating Dr. King seems like a serious moral obligation. I was a college student when Dr. King gave his famous speech. Because I saw it on television, I still sort of hear it and see it in real time. I have revisited that speech many times over the years, sometimes with great hope and other times with despair,” Mercomes said. “To me, the meaning of his words demonstrate universal truths: It’s not only about segregation, it’s not only about racial hatred, nor economic equity. It’s about respect and love for all human beings. Today, perhaps more than ever, we need to find hope and strength in his message.”
All are welcome to join the event, which is free to the public, and encouraged to bring signs. Signs will also be available.