Category: Communities

Nationwide lighting ceremony to honor COVID-19 victims on Tuesday afternoon

A nationwide lighting ceremony will honor COVID-19 victims at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19.


Gov. Laura Kelly has announced that Kansas will participate in this memorial to honor lives lost to COVID-19.

The Presidential Inauguration Committee is the host of the memorial, and cities and towns across America are invited to participate in the effort. In Washington, D.C., there will be lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to honor lives lost to COVID-19.

In Kansas, all the Statehouse interior lights will be turned on Tuesday afternoon to honor COVID-19 victims.

“The past 10 months have been filled with tragedy and loss for so many Kansans – and I offer my deepest sympathies to those who have lost friends, family members, or loved ones to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gov. Laura Kelly said. “As we light the Kansas Statehouse, we will honor their memories and recommit ourselves to preventing further deaths by doing our part to slow the spread of the virus and ensure every Kansan is vaccinated.”

The widespread lighting event was initially planned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee for President-elect Joe Biden. Tuesday evening, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool will be lit to memorialize American lives lost to COVID-19.

The Inaugural Committee invites states and communities across the nation to participate by lighting up buildings and ringing church bells at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday to participate in this national moment of unity and remembrance.

“I encourage all cities and counties in Kansas to join in and light up Courthouses, City Halls, or other buildings Tuesday evening,” Gov. Kelly said. “Let us all use this opportunity to unite as Kansans and as Americans and remember those we have lost.”

Statewide MLK celebration goes virtual

A virtual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration was presented online by the Kansas African-American Commission.

The state MLK celebration included appearances by several state legislators, including State Sen. David Haley, D-4th Dist., of Kansas City, Kansas, who introduced a musical selection.

The keynote address in the program was from Kevin Willmott, filmmaker and professor. Willmott, in his address, encouraged whites to tell the truth and encourage their brothers and sisters to stop believing “the big lie.” If Americans can stop seeing each other as a threat, he said, they can have a multiracial democracy, a beloved community resembling the dream of Dr. King.

Members of the Kansas African-American Commission from the Kansas City area include Mark McCormick, director of strategic communications for the ACLU; and Jonathon Westbrook, formerly with the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department, who became a White House Fellow in August 2020.

To view the statewide Dr. Martin Luther King Day celebration, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g9K_CRVISE&feature=youtu.be.

Rosedale residents read stories to students in honor of Dr. King

Volunteers with the Rosedale Development Association are reading stories to students at five Rosedale neighborhood schools as a way to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This year the ninth annual Reading Inspiring Stories to Empower is being held virtually.

In a typical year Rosedale volunteers would go to the schools in person to read stories, but this year, because of the risk of COVID-19, the volunteer readers are interacting with classrooms through pre-recorded videos and live Zoom events, according to a spokesman.They are reading books that highlight community change-makers and civil rights leaders.

“We are grateful to have so many options for community members to come together virtually and teach one another,” RDA Executive Director Erin Stryka said in a news release. “RISE is helping us stay connected and support each other in working for change in our community.”

This year’s theme is “Moving for Change” and will encourage students’ to make positive change within and advocate for their communities.

After reading the stories, students will identify and discuss pressing issues, and share ideas on how to improve their community. They will then be invited to write to their elected representatives about their ideas and concerns, channeling their discussion and ideas into an action of change. Through this, students may come to understand that their voices carry importance and that even the smallest of actions can lead to progress, according to a spokesman. As Dr. King Jr. said “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”