Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration highlights legacy and community
MLK celebration highlights legacy and community
The 40th annual event highlighted unity, honored community leaders and reflected on Dr. King’s lasting impact on civil rights and education.

The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the JMA Wireless Dome marked its 40th anniversary Sunday with the theme ‘Living History’ that encouraged a space of reflection and awareness on the ongoing fight for equal representation and rights.
Marissa Willingham, program manager of Syracuse University’s Barner McDuffie House, said the annual event reiterates the importance of maintaining a relationship between the campus and the wider Syracuse community.
“When you think about what Dr. King represented, he represented unity,” Willingham said. “And when you talk about unity, what do you talk about? You talk about everybody coming together as one. So, just being here on the hill with Syracuse University members, why not invite the community and surrounding areas to celebrate the legacy of Dr. King?”
The celebration is the largest campus event commemorating the late Civil Rights leader and his accomplishments. The program also highlights five Unsung Heroes for their “selfless dedication to their community and for embodying the vision of Dr. King.”

The five awardees were Andrea Rose-Oates, an undergraduate from the SU class of 2026, Director of Multicultural Affairs Dr. Jame Duah-Agyeman, the Student Coalition on Race and Equity (SCORE), influential community member Laurence Segal and the late Jamie Jackson, an employee of SU Parking and Transportation Services.
SU Chancellor Kent Syverud joined the night’s emcee and alum Sean Dorcellus in recognizing figures such as Charlie Willie, who inspired and contributed to this yearly event. Among the attendees were Smith College students and Sarah Willie-LeBreton, president of Smith College and the keynote speaker for the event.
Willie-LeBreton encouraged attendees to be aware of the roles they play in their communities. She raised awareness of the importance of higher education and how it contributes to our democracy while addressing the improvements in education rates for Black Americans from before she was born to now.
“The staff of American colleges and universities have designed co-curricular experiences that marry theory to practice, that gather the energy of young people to do good while orienting them towards job preparation and service,” Willie LeBreton said.
In the aftermath of the presidential inauguration and the new administration’s rollback of DEI initiatives in the federal government, there is anxiety about what the next four years will look like for the country. As big companies, such as Target, follow these steps to remove these programs, there is uncertainty about how to navigate these losses and move forward. This celebration, however, highlights the importance of unity and is one of the few events that unite the campus community with the City of Syracuse.
Willie-LeBreton made it clear that to effectively represent Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to Civil Rights, we must engage with the community outside of our comfort zone. Engagement and outreach are essential for creating long-standing connections between various communities in Syracuse and beyond.

As the ceremony concluded, the community choir serenaded everyone in attendance, prompting attendees to reflect on the event’s historical significance and its implications for the community.