City & Community, Community, Springfield

Celebrating Dr. King’s legacy: Springfield hosts parade, student contest

SPRINGFIELD – On Jan. 20, a crowd of community members braved the nearly-freezing weather to march in solidarity with warm hearts under one theme: Peace equals justice. 

“We’re going to stand shoulder to shoulder, we’re going to lean on each other, we’re going to lean into our community,” said Kori Rodley, Springfield councilor, during the kickoff of the 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration. The day serves as a time for reflection and community service in celebration of Dr. King’s contributions to the civil rights movement. 

“We’re going to stand shoulder to shoulder, we’re going to lean on each other, we’re going to lean into our community,” said Kori Rodley, Springfield councilor, during the kickoff of the 27th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration. The day serves as a time for reflection and community service in celebration of Dr. King’s contributions to the civil rights movement. 

Lawrence Hunter, education coordinator for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, welcomed the crowd with opening remarks.

What followed was a brisk march from the Springfield Justice Center on 4th Street to Springfield High School on 7th Street.

BOB WILLIAMS / CHRONICLE PHOTOS

At Springfield High, it quickly became standing room only for the student presentations. 

“We put out between 200 and 300 chairs, and when the march participants got there, the place really filled up,” said Janice Lichenstein, a retired educator who has been a coordinator for the Springfield Martin Luther King Jr. Event Committee nearly since its establishment. The committee includes participation from former and current Springfield Public Schools educators and representation from Willamalane, Springfield Public School District, SAfER, and the City of Springfield. 

Springfield students submitted essays, artwork, poems, videos, and other art related to the event’s theme. They showcased their art in the cafeteria, where contestants in grades 4 through 12 were given first-, second-, and third-place awards for their creative artwork and writing.

Fifth grader Molina Osgood, from Centennial Elementary, was one of the award recipients. Her team of three won first place for best poster in their grade group. Osgood wanted to participate in the event because “it is fun,” she said.

Lichenstein recalled “a beautiful print – a large-scale print that a student at Thurston High School created,” she said. “They actually carved the wooden plate and printed it out with Harriet Tubman, MLK, and Coretta Scott King featured. … We had one young high school senior, one of our volunteers, came in and said, ‘Oh, that’s my sister’s work!’ It is this beautiful portrait of MLK with a title she painted and did all on her own, not in her class. That was very sweet.”

She also recalls that “the librarian at Walterville did a project with every grade in the school. She gave them a portion of one of Martin Luther King’s speeches, and they wrote on this strip of manila paper and illustrated it,” she said. “Then the librarian put them all together into three panels. That was pretty impressive.”

Performances from Two Rivers-Dos Rios, Page Elementary, and Mariachi del Sol from Springfield High hyped the crowd with meaningful music to clap and cheer along to. 

Academy of Arts and Academics students showcased their spoken performances as the event neared its end. Two members of the A3 student group were absent, but they still performed their “Lynching of Emmett Till” with tenacity. Ninth grader Vylet Rollins said the group wanted to show their appreciation for Emmett Till since they weren’t taught about him in school.

Dr. King organized peaceful protests against racial segregation and discrimination. He advocated for equal rights for all people, regardless of race, and his philosophy of nonviolent resistance has impacted social movements worldwide. Lichenstein said she’s remained steadfast on the committee for over two decades because his message is timeless and still needs to be heard. 

“We haven’t achieved all of our goals,” Lichenstein said. “It’s always timely to learn about Martin Luther King, his message, his work, and the work of the civil rights movement. The work is not done, and we need to pass it on to each generation.”

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