Human Rights Education Institute's MLK Gala is Tuesday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort

COEUR d'ALENE — The Human Rights Education Institute will honor the legacy and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the MLK Gala at 6 p.m. Tuesday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.

This was an annual event has been brought back following a six-year hiatus. It was postponed to February so the presidential inauguration and celebration of King would both receive their necessary recognition as they landed on the same day this year, HREI Executive Director Jeanette Laster said Thursday.

This year's gala theme is, "It Starts with Us."

"We are going to celebrate these important days that mean so much to our community members," Laster said.

The keynote speaker is Kitara Johnson-Jones, an Army veteran and consultant, speaker and publisher of COME-UNITY Solutions Magazine, a publication dedicated to inclusion and highlighting people making a difference in the Inland Northwest.

"As this event returns to the region, it carries significant meaning, not just in remembering Dr. King’s legacy but in recognizing the responsibility we all share in strengthening our communities," Johnson-Jones told The Press via email.

She said she has often heard society is more divided than ever, but that's not the case.

People are disconnected, not divided.

"Now is the time to reconnect," Johnson-Jones said. "This event is about finding ways to work together, listen and build strong communities where everyone has a place. A community is a place where everyone belongs."

What unites us is the vision of a beloved community and the wisdom of Sankofa, learning from the past to build a better future, she said.

"Dr. King believed in the power of coming together; that message is just as important today," Johnson-Jones said.

"When we share space and have real conversations, we find common ground," she said. "That is how we move forward, not just in this moment but in the future. This keynote is an opportunity to reinforce that message and remind us of what is possible when we focus on what brings us together."

Benjamin Earwicker directs the statewide Idaho Human Rights Commission, which just wrapped up its annual event in the state Capitol. Idaho annually celebrates its Human Rights Day the third Monday in January.

"I think these celebrations are vital because they remind us that human and civil rights are for everyone, regardless of political, religious, social or other viewpoints," he said in an email Thursday. "As Idahoans, we cherish our independence and personal freedoms, and the work of human rights ensures that these freedoms continue long into the future. The message of Idaho Human Rights Day is that human rights matter to all of us, and we all benefit when those rights are protected."

The HREI MLK Gala is taking place during Black History Month as well as the Season of Nonviolence, a movement that spans the 64 days between the assassinations of Mohandas Gandhi on Jan. 30, 1948, and King on April 4, 1968.

"This is a season to reflect on how we serve in our community and lift nonviolent interaction," Laster said. "Part of our work is to deter young people from being recruited into extremist or violent groups, and we do that through peer-to-peer interactions guided by best practices that positively reinforce strengths in our youths, rather than preying on weaknesses, like some of these groups do."

The Black History Month exhibit will be on display in HREI through March 8. With a theme of "African Americans and Labor," the exhibit features artifacts from peacekeeping missions to Africa as well as images and information of notable Black Americans and their accomplishments.

"Heritage and culture are about pride and where we came from," Laster said. "We all have unique cultures, but our differences just make us strong. They don't separate us. It's woven into the fabric of our community.”

Proceeds from the gala will support programming at the nonprofit HREI. The evening will include student presentations, poetry, theater and music as well as King's favorite food — southern broasted chicken dinner with all the fixings.

Tickets begin at $65 for general seating.

Visit http://bit.ly/4iqVKFB or go to signupgenius.com for tickets.

Info: hrei.org

    Displays honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other Black and African Americans are part of the Black History Month exhibit up at the Human Rights Education Institute through March 8. The nonprofit's MLK Gala is Tuesday at The Coeur d'Alene Resort.
  

    Images of Ruby Bridges, the first African American student to attend William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana at the height of desegregation, and Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first Black general in the American military, are on display at the Human Rights Education Institute for Black History Month.