NILES — Stop by Mount Calvary Baptist Church between 7 and 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, and its staff and volunteers will work to ensure both mind and body are well-fed.
Next Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday that celebrates and remembers the Civil Rights Movement leader, activist, orator and minister. Mount Calvary will host a free public breakfast in tandem with the holiday at its 601 Ferry St., Niles location.
Bev Woodson, a congregation member and volunteer, said the event reflects an important King quote, one from his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize speech: “I had the audacity to believe that people everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies; education and culture for their minds; and dignity, equality and freedom for their sprit.”
Not only will breakfast be served, so will speeches. As guests dine, excerpts of King’s speeches and readings of his written work will be played on speakers.
Along with a speech by Niles Mayor Nick Shelton, Isaac Hunt Jr., a group violence intervention specialist at Goodwill Industries of Michiana, will share the history of King.
“He has the ability to reach out and talk about Dr. King,” Woodson said. “He is an awesome speaker.”
Attendees can also view photographs of King and other leaders in the Civil Rights movement.
Pastor Bryant Bacon said anyone can stop by anytime to the event. The church chose the time frame it did to accommodate those who may have to work despite Jan. 20 being a national holiday.
Bacon and Woodson will be up at 5:30 a.m. with others preparing eggs, bacon, grits, sausage, fruit, coffee and other foods next Monday.
Woodson said a deep appreciation for King and his impact makes her excited for the event each year.
She said King opened many doors for black Americans, herself included.
“As a child growing up in the south, it was very hard for us to vote,” she said. “Our parents would pull us to the churches just to hear [leaders] talk about voting, not swaying anyone either way.”
Those leaders had the same vision and principles as King, and King made the inequalities of all aspects of American life known to many.
Woodson said Mount Calvary’s breakfast also allows children to learn about King. Despite his death 52 years ago, his impact toward equality between all Americans can still be felt, and it must be if the work toward equality continues.
“If one man can change a nation, what can one town do next?” she said.