Hundreds of members of the Ames community gathered at Ames Middle School Monday night to celebrate the life and legacy of social revolutionary Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event, named Equality, Justice and Unity: Ames Community MLK Day Celebration, was rescheduled from Jan. 16 due to poor weather conditions.

The Ames Human Relations Commission, in collaboration with several other community sponsors, organized the event. Hundreds of Ames community members conversed for the first half-an-hour of the event while a video of Dr. King’s acceptance speech for his Nobel Peace Prize award he received in 1964 played on a projector.

When the video concluded, Boy Scouts Troop #196 and Girl Scouts Troop #1215 presented the American flag alongside the flag of Iowa and led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Following the presentation of colors, the curtain on stage opened, revealing a choir composed of Meeker and Sawyer Elementary students led by Charles Grim. The students were met by applause and awe, which was quickly interrupted when the students began to sing selections “Martin Luther King” and “We are the People of the 21st Century.”

The children wore lime green shirts bearing “MEEKER C.A.R.E.S” on the front.

“These kids are our future,” Grim, who was also wearing the lime green shirt, said to the audience. “When I’m in a wheelchair [someday], I’ll look forward to them making the right choices.”

Devita Harden, president of the League of Women Voters of Ames and Story County, the emcee of the night, took the stage to welcome everyone. She asked all elected officials in attendance to stand up. Those who stood were met by applause.

Harden brought Mayor Ann H. Campbell to the stage. Campbell said she had the opportunity to hear Dr. King speak when he visited Iowa 50 years ago. She continued by quoting Dr. King’s famous letter written during his time in the Birmingham Jail. “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.”

What followed the mayor was a montage of Ames community members performing community service. The montage was played on a projector, and it featured photos of Dr. King with some of his quotes. Harden returned to the stage to invite two students from the middle school. The students shared original pieces of poetry.

John Klaus, chair of the Ames Humans Relations Commission, took the stage next to present the Ames Humanitarian Award to Jamet Colton, community activist. She gave an emotional acceptance speech that was met by applause throughout its duration.

“Now is when you run for office,” Colton said to the audience. “Now is when you make unity, solidarity and social justice part of your daily lives.”

After Colton’s fiery speech, Harden returned to the stage to invited Edna Clinton, member of the League of Women Voters of Ames and Story County, to the stage. Clinton was tasked with introducing keynote speaker of the night Dr. Daniel Spikes, assistant professor of educational administration for Iowa State’s School of Education. Clinton highlighted Spikes’ likeness to Dr. King, sharing Spikes’ academic and personal accomplishments to the audience.

Spikes started his speech by highlighting the accomplishments of Dr. King that he felt were well documented in history books and other texts, namely the Montegomery Bus Boycott and his achieving of the Nobel Peace Prize.

“Some of us tend to situate DR. Martin Luther King Jr. and his accomplishments in a particular time in space, almost suggesting that he won,” Spikes said. And as a result there is no more suffering, there is no more racism and there is no more injustice.”

Spikes said that racism is still alive today, and he urged the audience to take a look at where the world is now in regards to racism and injustice, often citing Dr. King’s book, “Where Do We Go From Here?”

“While progress has been made, racism is alive and well,” Spikes said. “[The fight against injustice] will require us to understand how racism works in our society. It will require us to take action. It will require us to become anti-racism.”

Spikes closed by commending all of the local institutions that have worked to become more educated on diversity and inclusion. His speech was met with thunderous applause.

Harden took the stage for the final time to bid farewell to the audience.

“There is still work to be done,” Harden said. The night was concluded by the singing of, “We Shall Overcome,” led by Harden and Grim.