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Features
Martin Luther King Events Expand With Addition Of Gala
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
The number of events celebrating the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is expanding this year with the addition of a fundraiser that organizers say will help send local students to col- lege while honoring com- munity heroes.
The inaugural “Live the Dream Legacy” dinner and gala will take place this Thursday at T. Pepin Hospi- tality Center. It is the pre- cursor to the 28th Annual Martin Luther King Parade, the longstanding event that organizers say will feature more than 100 organiza- tions and attract more than 20,000 spectators.
The gala is the brainchild of Martin Luther King Pa- rade Foundation president, Robert Scott, who wanted to revitalize the scholarship program and honor mem- bers of the community who “epitomized the legacy of Dr. King,” said gala chair, Sherryl Cusseaux.
The list of gala honorees is chocked full of Tampa “trailblazers” who have served the community with their lives and livelihoods, she said.
Calling it “a dream come true,” Scott said the com- mittee purposefully selected community heavyweights as honorees for the first gala.
“It was important that we came out with a bang,” he said. “Hopefully, this is the start of big things to come.”
W. James Favorite, pastor of Beulah Institutional Baptist Church, former state sena- tor Arthenia Joyner, prominent attorney De- lano Stewart, and former University of South Florida ombudsman Samuel Wright will be honored as Drum Majors for Justice. Community leaders and ac- tivists, Clarence Fort and Frank Bell and Cusseaux’s aunt, Freddie Jean Cusseaux – who played a pivotal role in or- ganizing the first parade in 1971 – will receive the Legacy Award.
Rounding the list of hon- orees are: Florida Sentinel Bulletin editor, Gwen Hayes and NFL Hall of Famer, Derrick Brooks,
GWEN HAYES
DERRICK BROOKS
who will lead the 28th An- nual Martin Luther King Pa- rade as co-grand marshals.
Members of the Armed Forces will serve as hon- orary grand marshals.
In its search for grand mar- shals, the parade committee wanted to select “an unsung hero” and a “mover and shaker” and Hayes and Brooks, respectively, fill those roles, Cusseaux said.
Mrs. Hayes has “helped thousands” in her five decades as recorder of events and people in the community, Cusseaux said.
“Whether Ms. Gwen is talking to you and getting information about a family member you lost, she’s there...writing that story with compassion,” Cusseaux said. “She’s a true servant.”
Mrs. Hayes said she was “honored and humbled to be recognized”.
“I love people and enjoy working with people,” she said. “It is my employers, the Andrews family at the Florida Sentinel Bulletin, who allow me to work closely with the community to make their news hap- pen. I am grateful for this opportunity.”
Brooks, who was part of the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers’ 2002 Super Bowl- winning team and later founded Brooks-DeBartelo Collegiate High School, is a “very, very humble man,” Cusseaux said.
“Derrick Brooks loves to serve,” she said.
Mrs. Hayes and Mr.
Brooks will lead the pa- rade, which takes place on Monday, January 16 and will spiral through East Tampa. Behind them will be 110 organizations, 24 floats, and 10 bands, Scott said.
While both the parade and the gala add jovial touches to the holiday, the best way to honor Dr. King is to remember the sacrifice he made with his life in the
fight for civil rights, Scott said.
“We need to remember, celebrate, and act upon what he’s done,” he said.
If You Go: MLK Events
“Live the Dream Legacy” Inaugural Fundraising Din- ner & Gala will start at 6:30 p. m. on Thursday, Jan. 5 at TPepin Hospitality Centre,
4121 N. 50th St., Tampa. Tickets are $75. Call (813) 327-8316 or email gala@mlkjrparade.com to purchase or www.mlkjrpa- rade.com for more informa- tion.
The 28th Annual Martin Luther King Parade begins at noon at Cuscaden Park, 2901 N. 15th St. in Tampa. Visit www.mlkjrparade.com to see the parade route.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 3, 2017 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 3