By Howard Packowitz
NORMAL – As the world marks 50 years since Rev. Martin Luther King’s assassination, local leaders are looking for new ways to celebrate the civil rights leader’s birthday in January.
For 42 years, Bloomington-Normal has hosted a luncheon, but the Normal Town Council recently decided to stop funding the event because of budget constraints.
Normal Town Council member Chemberly Cummings said this is the only community she knows of that organized a banquet. She said others have organized days of service that have a lasting impact.
“We would like to do something very similar, and a lot of those things don’t cost a whole lot of money,” Cummings said.
“Also, you could go in with other organizations like Not in Our Town or the local branch of the NAACP, and those types of organizations can come along and actually do something that’s meaningful.”
“We come to the luncheon, we sit, we mingle for a little while, and we go back to being who we were. We don’t change anything. Nothing has changed, “Cummings also said.
Cummings is working with a group that plans an announcement in the coming months. The first African-American town council member wants to involve local organizations like Not in Our Town or the NAACP to help organize an event.
Howard Packowitz can be reached at howard.packowitz@cumulus.com.
