LAKE COUNTY ? “Unity in our Community” is the theme this year as the Lake County chapter of AmeriCorps joins its national counterparts to hold the organization”s 5th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration on Monday at Kelseyville High School.
The celebration will run from noon until 4 p.m., and will feature a range of activities for children of all ages, as well as performances by area artists. The Robinson Rancheria Youth Dance Group will perform a traditional Shake Head Dance, and area musicians including Don Coffin, Allen Markowski, Joan Moss and Rob Reason will perform. The keynote speaker will be Aqeela El-Amin Bakheit, president of the Lake County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
“I”m going to talk about Barack Obama and his role as a leader, and how Martin Luther King Jr. helped pave the way for him,” Bakheit said.
Woven into her thoughts about the progress and challenges the black community experiences in Lake County and in the nation are themes Bakheit says apply to everyone, regardless of race or ethnicity.
“We need to get out and get involved,” Bakheit said.
The concept applies to her aspirations for the black community to progress socially, economically and in the realm of education.
“Even though we just elected our first African-American president, there is still a lot of racism in the country, unfortunately. The biggest challenge we face is that people still see us as African-Americans, and not really as part of the American culture, history and framework ? and we are. And most of us are very proud to be Americans, and we love our country,” Bakheit said.
She said move involvement is needed in area agencies and city and county government in order for Lake County”s black community to have a stronger voice.
Bakheit, who ran for Clearlake City Council in November 2006, said she became involved with the NAACP seven years ago, when her now college-age son needed help. She hopes to share the concepts she learned about both giving and receiving help in the context of community.
AmeriCorps member Angelia Markowski organized the event this year with a committee of her fellow members.
“The theme changes slightly each year, but is always focused around Dr. King and what he represented. It has caused me to dig deep and do a lot of personal examination of my own personal values. I am hoping that this year”s celebration will have the same effect on those who attend,” Markowski said.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636 ext. 37.
