By Charles Sercombe
Despite the frigid single-digit temperature, Hamtramck’s celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Day on Monday carried on.
Last year’s event was postponed because of even worse winter weather.
This year, as one observer remarked, was not only a celebration but also a sermon.
Keynote speaker Ralphielle Hill, who is only 13 but able to speak well beyond his years, gave a rousing speech that built on King’s quote calling for “Building bridges and breaking down barriers.”
He focused on an earlier attempt on King’s life, in 1958 while he was at a book signing in New York City’s Harlem. It was then that a woman, who was described at the time as a paranoid schizophrenic, drove a letter opener into his chest, nearly severing an aorta.
Doctors at the time said that had King even so much as sneezed, he would have bled to death instantly.
The word “sneezed” was repeated several times in Hill’s speech, working on the message that, for any of us, without knowing it, avoiding one small act of mere sneezing could be so consequential, and instead lead one to accomplish great things in life.
“I’m so glad you survived the worst thing in your life,” Hill said, speaking to about 200 people at the Hamtramck High School Community Center.
He continued: “I’m so glad you walked into the new calendar year of 2025. This year you’ve been anointed to break down barriers and build bridges – the bridges that connect us.”
The Concerned Women of Hamtramck, in conjunction with the Hamtramck Public School District, hosted the event – the same day Trump was, once again, inaugurated president.
As usual, the breakfast celebration included a talent show by public school students. This year, there was only one musical act. Instead the celebration featured students reading aloud their original essays on the meaning of the day.
The King celebration dates back some years, to when a former Hamtramck city department head, Yvonne Myrick (now deceased) organized it.
Myrick’s daughter, Yvonne Spokes, remarked that the “dream goes on,” referencing King’s famous “I have a dream” speech about the one day in future America where the color of one’s skin wouldn’t matter, but that instead people would be judged by “the content of your character.”
As for the students who spoke, she said “These children are well on their way to fulfilling their dreams.”
Her brother, Tim Myrick, echoed that, saying, “Let the young lead the way.”
Madelyn Porter, who emceed the event, concluded the celebration by saying, “We have to work together in building bridges.”
After the celebration, HPS School Board President Abdulmalik Algahaim said, on Facebook:
“Let’s continue working together to make Hamtramck a city renowned for its diversity, tolerance, and cultural awareness.”
Posted Jan. 24, 2025