Bloomington’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration was held at 6 p.m. Monday evening at the Buskirk Chumley Theater and featured multiple speeches encouraging activism and community involvement.
This yearly event commemorates King’s legacy and is one of multiple events hosted year-round by the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission as part of its goal to “promote justice, racial equality, and equal opportunity” in Bloomington.
This year’s theme, “A Necessary Rennaissance in Social Justice: Telling the Stories to Ignite Change,” focused on storytelling and the creative arts as part of the ongoing fight for justice, according to the chair of the commission, Gloria Howell.
Howell, who is also the director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center at IU-Bloomington, said the theme reflects King’s support for the arts, as well as providing an opportunity to highlight black artists in the Bloomington community.
Howell said this year’s theme emphasized the work of their keynote speaker, activist and investigative journalist Keith A. Beauchamp.
Beauchamp was the filmmaker and producer of the 2005 film “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till,” a documentary which included previously unheard witness testimony that prompted the Justice Department to reopen the case.
“Those types of things are still happening, particularly to black folks in marginalized communities,” Howell said. “So, we thought, let's shed light on that. Let's tell stories. Let's also celebrate the creativity of black artists like Keith as a filmmaker.”
In his speech, Beauchamp honored the work of civil rights activists like King, Rosa Parks, George W. Lee and Lamar Smith, and he encouraged attendees to find paths for political or community involvement.
“We're at a pivotal moment in our history, and we have the opportunity to carry Dr. King's dream into the future,” Beauchamp said in his speech. “But to do so, we must commit ourselves to action.”
The event also featured performances from three IU alumni, with Tyra Anderson and Jasmine Dennie as vocalists and Peyton Womock playing the saxophone.
Howell said the commission chose performers with connections to Bloomington ensembles, like the African American Choral Ensemble or the IU Soul Revue.
“We wanted to highlight them, because they're amazing,” Howell said.
Deputy Mayor Gretchen Knapp also presented the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award to its 2025 recipient, Beverly Calender-Anderson, formerly the Safe and Civil City Director and Community and Family Resources Department Director for the City of Bloomington.
Calender-Anderson worked in Bloomington government for nine years, with the Bloomington Chamber of Commerce describing her work as spanning “the Farmers’ Market, race relations, Seminary Park, human rights and many more.”
While presenting the award, Knapp said that Calender-Anderson’s work reflects a “dedication to fostering equity and inclusion” that leaves “a lasting legacy of hope, unity and progress” in the Bloomington community.
In her speech, Calender-Anderson said that the audience should prioritize active community or political involvement.
“If you're not able to get out of your house and march or protest, make a phone call, write a letter, write a check supporting a local nonprofit or you can volunteer,” Calender-Anderson said.
Representatives from the Commission on the Status of Black Males and the Commission on the Status of Women also took to the stage to invite nominations for the 2025 Outstanding Black Leaders of Tomorrow Award and the 2025 Women’s Achievement Awards, which close on Feb. 11 and Jan. 31, respectively.
The commission also invited all attendees to participate in its Season of Service, which spans from Martin Luther King Jr. Day to Feb. 28 and encourages community members to involve themselves in volunteer work.
