SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The longest-running celebration in Sandy Springs, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, has seen several iterations over the years.
Since the city incorporated in 2005, it has sponsored a community MLK-themed event.
A decade ago, the event included a speech from a civil rights leader and a presentation of the Sandy Springs’ Humanitarian Award.
While the MLK Day events were great for the community, Mayor Rusty Paul said the city opted to shift the focus of the event to youth.
To kick off the event Jan. 15, Paul spoke to a packed room inside the Studio Theatre at the Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center on Galambos Way.
For him, the Civil Rights Movement is not a history lesson but a part of his life.
“I lived it,” Paul said.
Growing up in Birmingham during the 1950s and ’60s, Paul saw the push for equal rights and justice for Black people firsthand.
“It’s important to learn from that history and be better because of it,” he said.
Paul remembers taking the bus with his grandmother to shop in downtown Birmingham.
He recalled a memory of Black people giving up their seats and moving to the back of the bus for him and his grandmother. He also remembers the day King was shot in Memphis.
“This is one of our efforts as a city to try and reach our young people…and teach them about Dr. King and his legacy,” Paul said at the Jan. 16 City Council meeting. “I am always proud to be here and be a part of that.”
Councilmembers Andy Bauman, Melody Kelly, Melissa Mular and Jody Reichel joined the mayor at the Jan. 15 event.
Kelly, Sandy Springs’ first Black elected official, said she was elated to see increased turnout this year.
The 2024 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Art & Film Celebration gave each child a certificate with seven stars, representing themes exemplified by King’s work during the Civil Rights Movement.
Children…
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