Weather Washes Out MLK Celebrations in Grand Rapids

A big event to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Grand Rapids had to be called off because of bad weather. This was the 40th year for this celebration at the Wealthy Theatre. The plan was for Grand Rapids Community College, Grand Valley State University, and Davenport University to work together to put on this event. They promised to pick a new date soon. The weather also messed up other events planned for January 20th. Derrick Johnson, the head of the NAACP, was supposed to speak at GVSU and Davenport University. He was going to talk about how Dr. King still inspires the NAACP, the biggest civil rights group in the country.At GVSU, Johnson was supposed to start off their MLK commemoration week. The event was set for January 20th at 10 a. m. in the Kirkhof Center’s Grand River Room. GVSU’s president, Philomena V. Mantella, was going to have a chat with Johnson. It’s a bummer that the weather ruined these plans. But the good news is that they’ll try again on a different day. This shows how much people in Grand Rapids care about keeping Dr. King’s legacy alive.