Modesto activist to be honored during MJC 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration
Modesto Junior College is hosting its 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration on Saturday. The event is free to the public.
Attendees will see performances by Tasha Wilson, the Mocking Bird Choir and the Praise Dancers, the commemoration committee said in a press release.
The commemoration will be held at Modesto Junior College’s Performing Arts & Media Center, 435 College Ave., on Feb. 25.
Local activist Michael Baldwin Sr. will be honored at the event for his contributions to the Modesto community and will deliver a speech titled “The Dream Still Lives,” according to the release.
Students are invited to meet with Baldwin before the event, at 4 p.m. in the little theater.
For the public, doors open at 6 p.m. and Baldwin’s speech is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the performing arts center.
The commemoration is sponsored by the Turlock, Modesto and California teachers associations, the Modesto Peace/Life Center, Modesto Junior College, CSU Stanislaus and the NAACP, according to the release.
Baldwin was the keynote speaker at the King-Kennedy Memorial Center’s annual MLK Birthday Celebration Luncheon in January.
“Whenever we get a chance to be reminded of the message, and the life of Dr. King, it’s a chance for us to change course, to change direction, to walk with motivation and purpose,” Baldwin said at the luncheon. “Because together and only together can we be the dream.”
After spending 26 years in jail, Baldwin began working “to bring equity to the community, to redefine justice, and to mend broken relationships,” according to the release.
He co-facilitated the city of Modesto’s Forward Together initiative, is a member of Faith in the Valley’s board of directors, criminal justice chairman of the NAACP and vice chairman of Stanislaus County’s Juvenile Justice Commission.
Baldwin’s work “provides innovative, culture-shifting training to law enforcement, educators and other service providers,” the release said.
On his own, Baldwin also founded MBS Consultants and the nonprofit group Legacy Alliance Outreach.
This story was originally published February 22, 2023 at 2:45 PM.
