Waxahachie Mayor Proclaims MLK Jr Week

Featured Photo, left to right: Jim Brunson, Dallas Texas Stake representative; Jason Holloway, Waxahachie 1st Ward Bishop; Betty Square Coleman, NAACP President, Waxahachie Branch; Mayor Doug Barnes.

It’s a day, of course. But it can also be a week or a lifetime. Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a national holiday in 1983 to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday, but in 1994, Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act. This designation is one of a kind—making the third Monday in January the only federal holiday for which citizens are urged to have “a day ON, not a day off.”

The pandemic has affected the observation of the holiday in some cities. This year, parades were canceled and events postponed. In Waxahachie, however, Mayor Doug Barnes issued a proclamation for a Martin Luther King Jr. Week, January 17-23. Betty Square Coleman accepted the honor as president of the NAACP Waxahachie branch. Jim Brunson, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, assisted in setting up the event.

Duncanville’s Keep Duncanville Beautiful board hosted a community clean-up at Lakeside Park to recognize the day. Members of the high school student council and community members met to assist in this effort. Timothy Hamilton, board liaison and head of the Parks and Recreation Department, drafted a proclamation signed by Mayor Barry L. Gordon on January 18. In addition, a list of service opportunities was shared with community members. Projects included volunteering for BillionGraves, a site that collects and shares pictures of headstones; downloading FreeRice, an app that donates a grain of rice for every correct trivia answer; and ideas for nursing home residents and food pantry recipients. Mr. Hamilton was using the list compiled by a member of the Church which was also sent to all members from the Trinity River to Corsicana. The cities of DeSoto and Cedar Hill also received the list and the proclamation.

At a program hosted by the Baha’i community for members and guests, Anne Perry told the group about her family’s involvement with the civil rights movement when she was a child. She could not understand the discrimination that people of color suffered and wondered why her parents weren’t marching with them. Later, in fact, her parents did join with protesters, in Selma and elsewhere. Speaking at the event about her family history research on her Means heritage, Evelyn Nimmers noted that her mother is now 101. She has gathered information from other relatives as well. Her great-grandfather was born in Teague, Texas in 1868, but traveled to Alabama with the family who had held his parents as slaves. Later, her grandfather returned to Texas and built a successful business in Fort Worth. He learned to be a barber simply by observing others practice the craft. Her family also marched with Dr. King.

Awareness is important, engagement even more so. As individuals from all walks of life and from different races and faith traditions meet together, learning takes place but also plans for action. Mrs. Nimmers was pleased to learn about additional family history resources available from The Church Church of Jesus Christ. Barriers still exist, even if not in the ways seen sixty years ago. Lifetimes committed to advancing love and healing can make all the difference.