ST. MARTIN PARISH — St. Martinville is preparing to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a community celebration focused on unity, service, and youth involvement. The event, titled Mission Possible II: Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way, will take place Sunday at Adam Carlson Memorial Park.
Hosted by the St. Martinville Cultural Heritage Center and the African American Museum, the gathering aims to bring residents together through reflection, recognition, and participation. Organizers say the celebration highlights how Dr. King’s message continues to resonate locally.
“His legacy will continue to live on throughout the people right here in our community,” said Danielle Fontenette, director of culture and tourism for the City of St. Martinville and museum director for the African American Museum.
A central part of this year’s celebration is youth engagement. Children from the Early Learning Center are participating in a poster contest, while students at St. Martinville Junior High have written essays centered on the event’s annual theme. Each year, the theme is provided by the King Center in Washington, D.C., and helps guide both the student contests and the overall focus of the celebration.
“We at our age, if we do everything and take the information with us, our youth will not know how to succeed us, so it’s very important to involve the youth,” Fontenette said.
The museum’s board of directors is currently judging the student submissions, which include posters highlighting Dr. King’s messages and essays reflecting on his vision and legacy. Organizers say the contests encourage young people to engage with history in a meaningful and creative way.
“So we get the younger kids to do poster contests or to create posters that highlight Doctor King, the several messages that we’re all familiar with, or even the theme of that year,” Fontenette said.
In addition to student recognition, the celebration will also honor local businesses and individuals who have played a significant role in strengthening the community. The awards are meant to acknowledge those who continue to reflect Dr. King’s principles through service and leadership.
“And at the same time we get junior high students to then write an essay every year the African American Museum puts on a program where we recognize people in our community that have really done a tremendous job at keeping with his vision,” Fontenette said.
For Fontenette, organizing the event goes beyond her professional responsibilities.
“It’s not the job that the city is paying me for, it’s my job as a human being to be able to take the message that my ancestors or Doctor King has put forth and to carry it on,” she said.
The celebration begins at 2 p.m. Sunday at Adam Carlson Memorial Park and is open to the public.
