Carlsbad had a great participation throughout the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebrations over the weekend.
Nicole Nelson-Jean, who is with the Department of Energy, spoke about waiting in line to attend the funeral of Rosa Parks for 14 hours. Nicole was the keynote speaker during the annual banquet Friday. Nelson-Jean also spoke about how much she enjoyed the fact that her daughter was friends with children from so many different countries.
On Sunday, the Rev. Delmus Gillis gave a wonderful presentation during the church service at First Baptist Church. Mr. Donnell Hill and the MLK Community Choir did their usual fantastic job. Choir members work for hours each year to prepare for the annual service.
And on Monday, a large group of residents participated in the annual freedom march from the Eddy County Courthouse to MLK Memorial Park. Special thanks to Strut, Carlsbad High School’s drum corps, for leading the way. David Lewis, who is a member of Carlsbad’s school board, delivered the keynote speech on Monday. Mr. Lewis talked about what a wonderful place to grow up Carlsbad was.
Congratulations to Carlsbad High School for winning this year’s travelling trophy and to this year’s essay winners: First Place: Bailey-Ann Workman; Second Place, Aracely Delgado, Third Place: Kambryn Callicoat. Thank you to these young ladies for sharing their vision of Dr. King’s Dream with us.
Carlsbad also celebrated its first Kuumba Festival as part of the event. Strong winds made the event difficult, but we appreciate the outstanding performance by Deollo Johnson and the other Kuumba members who joined us from Santa Fe.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee has been a big part of Carlsbad for many decades. Julia Williams and Captain Williams were founders, and committee members such as LaWanda Scholl, Barbara Mounce, Karen Orgain and Bernita Smith-Payne have been a part of the effort for the entire time, as have many members of the MLK Community Choir. It’s nice to see so many familiar faces every year.
So many different individuals, groups and sponsors made this year’s event possible. A very special thank you to Albertsons, who donated all of the breakfast burritos for the march, the Stevens Inn, who provided hotel rooms for special guests and the Carlsbad Community Foundation, who handles the financials of the Scholarship Effort. Thanks as well to First Baptist Church for hosting this year’s church service, and to Dr. Joy James-Foster and all members of the Martin Luther King Scholarship Committee board. Congratulations on a job very well done.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway