Neighborhood News Bureau

Tag: MLK

  • MLK Day Of Services Summary

    MLK Day Of Services Summary

    BY: Haley Jordan, Corey Mapp and Kelli Carmack, Neighborhood News Bureau

    Martin Luther King Day brought the community of St. Petersburg together with a Day of Services to benefit the residents of the city. Murals were painted to brighten up the streets. Fraternities and sororities handed out food and family care packages. Information booths were set up to provide new moms and dads with support. People helped paint the city, tend to the community garden, volunteer at the animal shelter, and more.

    This story was originally published by The Weekly Challenger on January 18, 2018. Click on the link below to read the full article:

    http://theweeklychallenger.com/mlk-day-of-service-events/

     

  • Through her eyes: The MLK Candlelight Vigil Summary

    Through her eyes: The MLK Candlelight Vigil Summary

     

    By Kay-Kay Smith, Neighborhood News Bureau

    Kenadi Smith is a second grader who attends the annual Candlelight Vigil honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum. There, she watched the performances of two young African-American’s, Maya Stevenson and Aleisha Mandela, along with the Florida Orchestra. While watching the Florida Orchestra, Smith noticed the one African-American woman who played the violin next to all white males. While Smith is not old enough to have experienced racial segregation, she understands that life should be full of love, peace, unity, and harmony.

    This story was originally published at The Weekly Challenger on January 18, 2018. Click on the link below to read the full story:

    http://theweeklychallenger.com/through-her-eyes-the-mlk%E2%80%88candlelight-vigil/

     

  • Celebration and remembrance at St. Petersburg’s MLK Parade

    Celebration and remembrance at St. Petersburg’s MLK Parade

    BY MIRANDA BORCHARDT
    NNB Reporter

    DOWNTOWN — An estimated crowd of 3,000 people filled the streets of downtown St. Petersburg to take in the 31st annual Drum Major for Justice National Parade celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Monday, Jan. 18.

    This St. Petersburg tradition is the nation’s longest running Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade with the inaugural event being held on Jan. 20, 1986.

    Student Matthew Vorra, 15, and friends spent their school day off traveling from Seffner to experience the event but mostly to celebrate, remember and honor the legacy of the civil rights leader.

    King was “a man who fought for what he believed in,” said Vorra.

    The parade showcased local school marching bands, dance troupes and floats featuring community groups and local businesses who embraced the spectators with smiles, waves and by throwing beads to the crowd. There were even a few local celebrities who joined the two mile route from Tropicana field down to Vinoy Park including Mayor Rick Kriseman and former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist.

    Yolanda Fernandez, St. Petersburg police spokeswoman, said attendance was average. Some attendees may have been deterred by the lower than normal temperatures for the day.

    While the crowd was all smiles some were pensive remembering the times of struggle while embracing their freedoms of today. Charles Payne, 80, of St. Petersburg, has attended for about 20 years.

    “Martin Luther King (Jr.) stood for nonviolence,” he said. “It is good to see so many people recognize (that).”