A large crowd gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Jan. 19, for the 46th annual State of Wisconsin Tribute and Ceremony honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme of this year’s program was “The Power of Unity.”
The annual Tribute and Ceremony is Wisconsin’s official state ceremony and is the oldest official state Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in the U.S. The program is produced, directed, and hosted by Dr. Jonathan Øverby, executive producer and host of Wisconsin Public Radio’s Saturday evening world music program “The Road to Higher Ground with Jonathan Øverby.”
Øverby told the crowd at the Capitol Building that he “needed to see them today with all that is going on.”
“This is the most culturally inclusive time of the year at this Capitol. Look around you, and you’ll see what I am talking about,” he said.
“I just want to say it plainly, though the winds of indifference, fear, and hatred are rising, the fact that you are here today and the fact that unity is under attack, shows us that we can fight against those stereotypes and those generalities by being together to honor the commitment not only of Dr. King but of those whose shoulders we stand on today,” Øverby added.
The annual Tribute and Ceremony celebrates the life and legacy of MLK in words and music. This year’s event featured Chicago’s Victory Travelers Gospel Group, violinist Dr. Brianna Ware-Boggs, the Memorial Honor Guard, poetry by Wisconsin poet laureate Brenda Cardenas, and the presentation of the 2026 MLK Heritage Awards. Ahmed Baba, the co-founder and president of Rantt, was the special guest speaker.
Jennifer Mnookin, the chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, gave the welcome at the event and introduced Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
(Photo by David Dahmer)
Evers acknowledged the talented performers and guest speakers at the event, who all made this celebration “more memorable and more meaningful.” He also thanked “all of the local leaders, community advocates and changemakers here with us today, including our MLK Heritage Award winners who are being honored.”
“Dr. King believed in a brighter future we’re working to build together and I am glad to be here to help recognize those in our community who are working toward Dr. King’s vision each and every day,” Evers said.
“Today, we reflect on Dr. King’s legacy, not only here in the United States, but across the world, and his profound impact on the trajectory of our nation. Dr. King fought tirelessly for the equal rights of all people. And this year’s theme, ‘The Power of Unity,’ encourages us to remember that there’s far more that unites us than divides us.”
After his speech, Evers presented a proclamation to Dr. Øverby, recognizing Jan. 19 as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day throughout the state of Wisconsin. Øverby sang “He’s Got the Whole World In His Hands” to the attendees at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
At the event, Donald B. Jackson, Melody McCurtis and Danell Cross were presented with the 2026 MLK Heritage Awards for their work in the community.
Keynote speaker Ahmed Baba told the crowd that this was his first time ever in Wisconsin and that he was “genuinely honored to be here today.”
“The theme of today’s event is the ”Power of Unity.’ What a profound aspirational theme at a time when we need it most,” Baba said. “I often wonder what Dr King would say about the moment we find ourselves in … a moment where we have access to unlimited information, but live in an age of disinformation, a time where we can connect with anyone on the planet with the tap of a screen, but feel so disconnected.
“We live in a moment where algorithms incentivize and monetize our divisions, a moment where we’re the most economically prosperous nation on earth and yet so many languish in poverty, a moment where we’re achieving scientific and technological breakthroughs, but we’re taking steps back politically and culturally that would have felt unimaginable just a decade ago,” Baba continued.
Baba said that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a “peaceful warrior for justice” and mentioned one of his most famous quotes: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
“But as history and King’s own actions make clear, the arc does not bend on its own. It bends when a united people are brave enough to push it,” Baba said. “We have so many more tools at our disposal. Now, anyone can look at their phones and spread truth to millions. They can press record and speak and record atrocities that can blast information at the speed of lightning.”
Baba added that we “have our own circles of influence and we can mass organize now.”
“We are all leaders, each of us individually, whether we like it or not. Each of us has that responsibility and power now, and now we must live by King’s example and not be afraid,” he said. “If the civil rights heroes could do it in their era with far fewer legal protections, then surely we can do it in ours, right?”
“If an 11-year-old Joanne Bland and a 25-year-old John Lewis could cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, get back up and keep fighting. Then so can we,” he continued. “If students could sit at segregated lunch counters, if ordinary people could face dogs and fire hoses, if everyday people could risk everything in their fight for dignity, then so can we.
“If Barack Obama could rise to the highest office of the land and never break and never crack under the pressure of the racism he faced, then so can we. Why not? Why not us? And if Dr Martin Luther King, Jr, could climb to the mountain top, envision a promised land and unite the people of his time to push America forward, then so can we … and we will. We will, because it’s our turn.”
