From the Mayor’s Office –
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

From the Mayor’s Office
January 19, 2026

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The following speech was read by Mayor Newhard on January 19, 2026, at the Union AME Multicultural Church Celebration of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. –

Greetings, Friends, Neighbors, Rev. Davidson, Union Family and Invited Guests,

This beautiful Church feels like a safe harbor. Outside of these four walls, there’s a lot going on. We are a country divided with no visible leadership to heal those wounds, to fix the broken, to protect the lost and to define an enlightened future.  Instead of a nation of excellence and grace, we have too often become a country of brute force.  Please do not misunderstand me – this is not new. This is the country where Rev. King was assassinated, where the fight for civil rights was a battleground, where the fight for freedom from slavery cost hundreds of thousands of lives. This is no Shangri La. Yet the essence and meaning of America remain intact – and what we build must be part of our personal commitment to a just cause: a great nation.

So, my friends, I ask, why are we here?  It is to praise and honor a man who recognized that change is manifested through action. We are here to share and to find enlightenment not only through the words of Rev. King but through each other. I’m speaking of a personal quest – the paths we have chosen and our ability to transform.

In the Book, Transforming Pain into Purpose by Rev. Dr. Maureen MaIntosh-Alberts, our very own, Sister Channabel Latham-Morris recounts her journey after the loss of her son Jamal.  This tragic event became her personal and spiritual call to action. In Channabel’s own words, “I believe grief is love with no place to go. Borne out of that expression and our tragedy, I’ve developed a grief coaching program for parents who’ve lost a child. Through the program “Live Your Pain Through Purpose,” we aim to uplift families navigating this horrific loss by channeling their love into actions that honor their child such as writing, establishing foundations, and serving others, allowing their child’s life and purpose to continue to inspire and impact the world.”

This is a model to live by filled with the purpose and love that Dr. King championed. Thank you Channabel for your work, for your service and your open heart that truly creates change in people’s lives and has given them hope.   When we read the words of Rev. King, they shape a consciousness we should all aspire to. He speaks of unarmed truth and unconditional love. When he said, “Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is participant in the being of God.”  What power. What understanding of the moral tenets of faith and humanity.

So here we are—and although the world’s chaos may be out of our control, and loving this country at this time may mean carrying equal measures of grief and belief, we do have within each one of us the powerful agent of change. We have the ability to do good and to transform within our own lives and community.  Like Channabel, and through the life and work of Rev. King, we have guidance and profound examples—each one of us—of how to make a difference.