By jennifer kohlhepp
Staff Writer
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Bernard Spigner, a radio talk show host on WCTC, delivers the keynote address at the “Still United” program held at the North Brunswick Township High School.
NORTH BRUNSWICK — Township residents congregated Monday night to commemorate the achievements of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Township Department of Human Services (DHS) sponsored "Still United," a free event held on Jan. 20 at 6:30 p.m. in the commons area of the North Brunswick Township High School on Raider Road.
An audience of around 200 attended the program, which consisted of various performances by members of the community.
The Family Worship Center choir and band performed "Praise Unlimited," which was made up of three songs including interpretive dance. The center’s youth choir received a standing ovation for their emotional performance.
Poet storyteller Lorraine Stone gave a brief performance of some of the literary works of African Americans like Sojourner Truth, Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes.
"I have compiled the works of these writers into one performance to acknowledge the dream that Dr. King had," Stone said. "Through them you will see the how the dream is broken up, how it is lost, when it is lost, how we can recognize our own," she said.
Stone’s performance was co-sponsored by DeVry College of Technology and the township’s Municipal Alliance.
The North Brunswick Township High School African American Club, dressed in red, white and blue, paid tribute to the first black fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, with what they deemed a "hand-slapping, finger-snapping, foot-stomping" dance performance. The drill team, consisting of representatives from every high school grade level, performed under the advisory of Shauna Carter and Mary Jones
The Rev. Dariaus Enlow from the Family Worship Center hosted the event. Local radio station WCTC 1450 AM talk show host Bernard Spigner was the keynote speaker.
"It is a conundrum to set aside this one day and the month of February, the shortest month of the year, to be concerned about ethnic culture," Spigner said.
Spigner encouraged everyone to try to accomplish more moments of connection with each other, not because of their culture or group, but because of their humanity.
"After we were attacked 16 months ago we experienced these moments of connection," Spigner said. "Togetherness grew. If we could have only bottled it somehow; if we could only get back that feeling," he said.
Nanayaw Owusu, a first-grader at Judd School wrote, "My dream is to help bring world peace to the whole world by loving everyone. Love means everything." His essay was part of the Essay/Art contest sponsored by DHS and the local schools.
DHS presented gold medals on red, white and blue ribbons to 12 students in grades K-12 for poems, essays and drawings commemorating Dr. King’s life.
The high school will display all of the artwork in the commons area through Jan. 21 in a display titled "Hand in Hand for Justice," portraying the highlights of Dr. King’s career, according to Vice Principal Pete Clark.
Following the celebration, Makeda Ethiopian Restaurant of New Brunswick provided a food sampling of traditional Ethiopian fare, including red and yellow lentils, spiced meats and collard greens to all in attendance. Chartwells Dining Service provided beverages.
Ijumaa Jordan of North Brunswick said that it was important for her to bring her niece Shantaya Hall, 16, and nephew Jarel Hall, 13, both of Franklin Park, to the presentation.
"They enjoyed the dancing and especially applauded the singing of the youth choir," she said. "The singing was inspirational and the message of the speakers was very important," she said.
Remembering the Rev. King’s fight for the freedom and equality and dignity of all races, Enlow said, "Dr. King saw a promised land on the eve of his assassination. We see this promised land. We are living reality of that promised land and with faith and tenacity we move forward."