Ansonia Encourages People To Live Dr. King's Legacy

ANSONIA – The Valley gathered together Monday (Jan. 15) to celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., with a focus on what’s being done here to keep the dream alive.

About 75 community leaders, students and members of the public lifted their voices in song and praise at the Ansonia High School auditorium to reflect on King’s life. Several speakers touched on what the Valley itself, in particular the Valley MLK Committee, has been doing to honor the influential civil rights leader’s mission, including plans for an MLK mural.

King would have celebrated his 95th birthday on Monday (Jan. 15). His life was cut short at age 39 when he was assassinated in 1968.

The 90-minute ceremony commemorated King’s life with uplifting songs and prayers, along with a reading by multiple speakers of King’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. King was the youngest person, at age 35, to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, for his commitment to nonviolent resistance against racism.

Several of those who read King’s speech were AHS students, who thanks in part to donations raised during last year’s Valley MLK celebration, were able to visit Alabama and Atlanta for a civil rights tour.

MLK Committee Chairwoman Maliqa Mosely-Williams spoke of how the committee is continuing its mission to raise funds to have the Valley’s first MLK mural created on a prominent building to be determined in Derby. New Haven artist Isaac Bloodworth has been commissioned to paint the mural and encouraged Valley residents to lend a helping hand.

My focus is on social justice and representation,” Bloodworth said. I’d like to invite the community in to paint with me.”

The goal is to have the mural inspire people with King’s message, as well as to drive important community conversations about race, equity and opportunity, and spark a feeling of unity to all who see it, according to Mosley-Williams.

To date, the committee has raised about half of its $25,000 fundraising goal for the project, according to TEAM, Inc.’s President and CEO David Morgan. TEAM is serving as the committee’s fiscal agency, and 100 percent of the donations will go toward the mural. The committee also helped raise funds for the first MLK bust erected in Ansonia a few years ago. 

Those interested in making a donation for the mural and learning more about the project, can visit TEAM’s website at www.teaminc.org

Greg Johnson, president of the Valley NAACP, said he’s encouraged by young people, like Mosley-Willams and the high school students, who are working to keep King’s mission alive, but said there’s more work to do.

The NAACP is here for the good, the bad and the ugly,” Johnson said. I get these phone calls about my daughter being bullied on the school bus because she’s a little black girl. My son was arrested for driving black. This is the world we live in. These are the things that the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King stood for, marched for, fought for, was hosed down, had dogs sicced on him and had bomb threats. Here we are in 2024, and we are still fighting about these same things. We’ve got to do better.”

Johnson encouraged people to get involved, join a committee to help address housing issues, healthcare and crime, volunteer, join the NAACP. He urged city leaders to hire bilingual employees for greater representation and diversity throughout the Valley.

It’s about making an impact on our community so everyone has an equal chance at success,” Johnson said. 

Ansonia Mayor David Cassetti said strides are being made for more inclusivity. He was proven right when he asked the audience to raise their hands if they recently helped a neighbor without being asked, said something nice to someone just to make them feel better, if they’ve made a meal for someone less fortunate, helped someone cross the street or just said I love you’ just because, and almost everyone’s hands went up in the air.

In the spirit of Dr. King’s legacy, let us make sure we can all raise our hands to show that we strive for equality and justice for all,” Cassetti said.

A highlight of the program came when Dan Bosques, assistant director of the Ansonia Nature Center, spoke of contributions made by Ansonia’s first black police officer, Sgt. Charles S. Tatten. Tatten was sent with a special military contingent that announced the emancipation of slaves in Galveston, Texas on June 19,1865, which has now become known as Juneteenth.

Bosques’ children, Nathaniel, 10 and Emma, 8, attended Monday’s MLK celebration with their mom, Jennifer. Not only were the two kids proud of their dad’s work in researching Tatten’s life, they also liked learning about King’s accomplishments.

I learned how important these people are, and that my dad is cool,” Nathaniel said.

I liked how I learned how Charles S. Tatten was Ansonia’s first black officer,” Emma said.

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