TALENTED DANCERS WITH OrigiNation performed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony at the Galvin Middle School, hosted by the town’s Human Rights Commission. (Sherri Oken Photo)
By NEIL ZOLOT
WAKEFIELD — “We’re here to celebrate the optimism of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King,” Human Rights Commission Chair Sherri Oken said in opening remarks at the annual Martin Luther King Day ceremony at the Galvin Middle School yesterday. “This is one of my favorite events of the year and the one that introduced me to the HRC. Events like this bring our community together to understand King’s legacy.”
Perhaps due to the cold weather, attendance was less than it’s been in previous years. “It’s easier to do nothing than something and hate than love,” Rabbi Greg Hersh of Temple Emmanuel said in an invocation. “It would have bene easier for you to stay home on a cold day than come here, but you didn’t. Thank you for coming.
“Dr. King didn’t take the easy way out. He forced America to reckon with its lofty goals despite racism and his work isn’t done. We still struggle with the use. We must still combat racism and hatred of the other. May we be the light that drives out darkness. May we be the love that drives out hate.”
He later led the audience in a sing-a-long of “Teach Your Children” by Graham Nash.
High School student Vanessa Westlake and Middle School student Gia Rizzuti read various principles of non-violence by King. “There’s so much more to his legacy than the iconic ‘I Have a Dream Speech,’” Oken noted.
State Senator Jason Lewis gave the keynote speech. Rather than focus on familiar civil rights issues like voter suppression, his remarks addressed economic inequality. “King and other leaders knew racial justice was intertwined with economic justice,” he said. “The top economic 1% is worth $40 trillion, which exceeds the combined worth of the entire middle class. The racial wealth gap has not only persisted, it’s widened. Tens of millions are living paycheck to paycheck, working multiple jobs to feed their families. It affects everyone, but especially African-Americans.” (CNBC reported the Federal Reserve data indicates the wealthiest 1% is worth $41.52 trillion, the bottom 50% $2.62 trillion.)
He also cited data from Brigham Young University that 72.1% of white families own homes, compared to 43.4% of black families and from the Boston Foundation and Duke University that the median net worth of white families in the Boston area is $250,000, compared to $8 for black families, adding, “That’s right, $8.”
According the Pew Center nationally white families net worth is $250,400, black families $27,100.
Lewis and other legislators are working to narrow it, through new minimum wage laws, free meals at school and trying to make community college tuition-free. “Our community colleges serve a disproportionate share of students of color, 45%,” he said.
He also called on communities to “be engaged in a conversation about its own racial history and the possibility of racial reparations. I want to call on all of us to deepen our work on Diversity Equity and Inclusion, which is facing a significant backlash from white conservatives.”
He was followed by a dance performance from the OrigiNation Cultural Arts Center in Jamaica Plain, who were invited back after last year’s performance. “A lot of people came to see this,” Oken said in introducing them.
School Superintendent Doug Lyons gave the Community Service Ward to Margie Daniels, executive director of the advocacy group Massachusetts Partnership for Youth, of which he is a Board member.
Evan Rappert of the Boys and Girls Clubs announced a room painting project that will be undertaken this year.
Among the student artists receiving awards was Wakefield Memorial High School student Ethan Mezikofsky for a portrait of King, based on a photo and done in one day. “l like to paint portraits and he seemed like an obvious choice,” he said. “I know he was a good person and without him I wouldn’t have a lot of the friends I do.”
His mother Lisa said art teacher Caitlin Lang knows Ethan likes to paint portraits and suggested the piece.
His father Russ, also an artist, added,” The teacher gave him three days to do it.”
He also said his children have been painting for years. “We have painting time and our house is like an art gallery,” he said.
Oken called the portrait “absolutely beautiful.”
Mezikofsky was at Galvin before the ceremony, but left before Oken announced the awards winners. Ethan had to run in a Warrior track meet at The Track at New Balance in Boston.
