Wisconsin’s 37th annual MLK Tribute and Ceremony was held in the Capitol Rotunda of the State Capitol Building on Jan. 16 and featured CEO, philanthropist, motivational speaker and author Valerie Daniels-Carter as the guest speaker.
The event was produced, directed and hosted by Wisconsin Public Radio’s Dr. Jonathan L. Overby, who opened the ceremony by telling the crowd that the theme for this year’s event was “The Journey Ahead.”
“It is a theme grounded in celebration, reflection, and a tribute to Dr. King who was taken from us 50 years ago,” Overby said. “In some African traditions, when the elder of the tribe dies, it is said that a great tree has fallen. Dr. King was a great tree. His life was rooted in a cause that has yet to be fully conquered. That cause, grounded in the American dream, was dedicated to the pursuit of equality for all Americans and the reduction of human hatred.”
Overby added that for some in our great nation, Dr. King’s dream remained deferred for a later time.
“Sadly, in some circles, we’ve let our lack of understanding of others and their cultural traditions to see others in a different light,” Overby said. “It influences negatively how we see and embrace them … causing some to fear who they do not know, who they do not understand … those who are different. Such fear has increasingly turned to hate. And that hate has far too often resulted in despicable acts that insult and cause injury to humanity here in the U.S. and everywhere around the globe.
“So, today, as we celebrate Dr. King’s life and legacy, let us use this occasion to plant new trees along the pathway of our journey ahead,” he added. “As we do, let us look for ways to serve the poor, the marginalized and the disenfranchised.”
The Wisconsin MLK Tribute and Ceremony is the oldest annual event of its kind in the United States. Over the years, Wisconsin’s King celebration has featured many prominent leaders as guest speakers including actors Ruby Dee, Cecily Tyson, Clifton Davis and Paul Winfield, Habitat for Humanity founder Millard Fuller, Ambassador Attallah Shabazz-the eldest daughter of Malcolm X, Mamie Till-Mobley-mother of Emmitt Till, Civil Rights activist Rev. C.T. Vivian-former presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm, CNN’s Roland Martin and commentator, Van Jones.
This year’s MLK Tribute and Ceremony featured music by the Kenosha Tremper High School Wind Ensemble, and gospel music by Kingdom Records recording artists, The Brown Sisters of Chicago. At the ceremony, the 2017 MLK Heritage Awards were presented to Milwaukee’s Journey House, a community center on Milwaukee’s near south side, and Ronald Morris, an admissions advisor overseeing multicultural recruitment at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.
Guest speaker Daniels-Carter, whom Essence Magazine named one of the 50 most admired African-Americans in the U.S., told the crowd that there are certain questions that you have to proactively and honestly ask yourself if you indeed are going to be a beacon of change.
“I stand before you today because I represent the future that Dr. King could not see, but he fought for through many dangers, toils, and snares,” Daniels-Carter said. “You see me today and I don’t look too bad … but I’m here to tell you that I don’t look like what I’ve been through and I know many of you can attest to the fact that you don’t look like what you’ve been through.”
Daniels-Carter is the first African-American woman to be elected to an NFL team board of directors, the Green Bay Packers, and is also part-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks. The first question, Daniels-Carter said, that she has to ask herself is: Who am I and what do I really want to become?
“It is not about who you are, it is not about where you are going … it’s about your perseverance to get to where you are going and to not allow anything or anybody to get in your way,” she said. “Greatness is purposeful servanthood with integrity that pursues after excellence without compromise. It ignites the inward qualities of a believer and causes them to radiate from the inside out. It is who you are when you have acknowledged and accepted your core spiritual attributes and are a living testimony to divine purpose.”
