Honoring a King; Altus hosts MLK Day Events

  • Published
  • By Airman Jackson N Haddon
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  In 1963, he delivered the, “I Have a Dream” speech. Five years later, he was tragically killed outside a hotel in Tennessee. In 1983, the third Monday in January was made a national holiday by President Ronald Reagan to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and what he stood for. To this day, Dr. King is still revered as a civil rights hero and Altus Air Force Base is honoring him during the month of January.

A luncheon and unity march honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were held on Jan. 27, 2017 at the Freedom Community Center on Altus AFB, Oklahoma.

“It’s important we honor somebody that paved the way to unite this country,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nigel Bain, 97th Medical Operations Squadron public health supervisor. “This country was separated and he showed that through peaceful protest, we can help people understand different viewpoints. To me, that’s what his legacy stands for.”

The luncheon hosted performances depicting some of the events that were key in pursuing Civil Rights, performed by members of Altus AFB.

“The luncheon is in celebration of Dr. King and how he brought unity and equality into our lives,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Eric Williams, 97th Medical Support Squadron NCO in charge of the base pharmacy. “Before, there wasn’t always unity and equality. What we’re trying to do is emphasize how we have united since then and how his dream has evolved into what it is now. The 97th Air Mobility Wing has a great opportunity to show how his ideas have grown.”

Along with the luncheon, the base held the first ever unity march at Altus AFB.

“The unity march represents how the 97th AMW comes together as one and how strong we are,” said Williams. “We show what we can do day-in and day-out. That we’re the world’s greatest Air Force because of how we all work together. He led a peaceful protest through marches and public speaking, so we wanted to have a march to honor Dr. King and everything he stood for.”

Unity and equality is important to the Air Force and its Airmen helping overcome differences to get the mission done.

“We all come from different backgrounds,” said Bain. “We have all different races, colors, religions and we all have to come together to make the mission work. If I don’t understand and refuse to understand where someone’s coming from because they’re a certain religion or color, we would not make progress and we would fail as a team.”

The events served to honor Dr. King’s legacy and showcased the commitment of Altus Airmen to unity and equality.