The Piedmont community gathered Monday for its 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, bringing together elected officials, youth performers, and hundreds of residents under the theme “Chaos or Community.”
Congresswoman Lateefah Simon delivered the keynote address, joined by local leaders including Piedmont Mayor Betsy Andersen and Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas.
“This event is really an important event to not only remind us about Dr. King’s legacy, but to kind of ground us as a community and those values,” Bas said.
Bas said that it’s a combination of elected leaders and young people who really engage the audience.
“There are a lot of different ways to connect to the issues of who Dr. King is and how you as an individual can connect to his legacy.”
Among her announcements, Bas spoke about a successful $7.5 million fundraiser to protect the right to due process for local immigrants, specifically against actions by ICE.
In the guest speaker segment, Simon’s speech featured King as a model for bravery applicable to the modern era.
“Every door [King] walked into, he walked into fire – knowing it was fire,” Simon said.
The celebration also featured two performances by Destiny Arts Junior Dance Group, whose members range in age from 9 to 13. The group performed both “Greenwatch” and “Money in the Bank,” routines they’ve perfected over the course of the year.
According to member Laurynn Taylor, the songs are chosen by directors to fit the performance themes and contain lyrics that complement their choreography.
“Destiny Arts Center is my favorite place that I’ve ever danced at because my teachers are like my second moms,” Taylor said. “They’re always there, you can talk to them about anything. We all built so much trust together that we can tell each other anything.”
Behind the scenes, Senior Cora Chun organized the event’s art submissions, totaling approximately 130 pieces from Piedmont elementary school students.
“We got way more submissions than we thought, which means I’ve been working on the slideshow all week. But it was fun,” Chun said.
Bas said she anticipates that the MLK Day tradition at Piedmont will continue next year.
“Every year we have incredible leaders who make [this event] a real asset to the community.”
