Commemorative Weekend Celebration, January 2024
The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Organization, Sussex County, Inc. invites everyone to participate in the 36th Annual Commemorative Weekend Celebration in honor of the late civil rights leader, January 13-15, 2024.
The theme for the weekend this year is “Living the Dream: It Starts with Me!” In order for Dr. King’s Dream to truly be fulfilled, each of us has an important role to play.
The Annual Banquet will be held on Saturday, January 13, beginning at 4:30 p.m., at the CHEER Center, 20520 Sand Hill Road, Georgetown, Delaware. The keynote speaker will be Representative Esthelda (Stell) Parker Selby, distinguished educator and State Representative of District 20 (Milton and Lewes). Recipient of many awards and honors, Rep. Selby has served on the Delaware State University Board of Trustees, as Milton City Councilwoman, and President of the Cape Henlopen School Board, and as an active member of many local organizations. Rep. Parker Selby exemplifies the theme of the 2024 celebration weekend.
On Sunday, January 14, everyone is encouraged to worship at a location of their choice. And throughout the weekend, everyone is encouraged to participate in the various activities sponsored by local organizations, especially service projects.
On Monday, January 15, there will be a Monday Holiday Community Worship Service, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The service will be held in person at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church, 23115 Slaughter Neck Road, Lincoln, Delaware. The Messenger this year will be Bishop Jamie Hazzard of the Welcome Full Gospel Holiness Church, Slaughter Neck. For Monday Holiday Worship Information, call Janie Miller: 302-227-3118.
Banquet tickets are $50 for adults, and $25 for children 15 and under. Tickets are offered through advance sales only; there will be no tickets sold at the door. The deadline to reserve tickets is December 27, 2023. For ticket sales or additional information, reach out to Don Peterson at 703-963-1871, or email MLKTickets2024@gmail.com.
The community’s support is always needed and appreciated in perpetuating and nurturing the legacy, the vision, and the dream of Dr. King. Donations to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Organization may be sent to PO Box 781, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971. Contributions will help fund scholarships for deserving youth in Sussex County and the on-going work of the Organization.
For more information, call Waynne Paskins: 302-227-8738. ▼
We Have Always Been Here
Soon, Delaware’s Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs will be publishing the complete findings of a research project celebrating Delaware’s queer heritage. The project included extensive research, contributions from LGBTQ+ organizations and private collections, and personal oral interviews. Just a little of what’s to come can be viewed now at history.delaware.gov/lgbtq-history/.
One entry on the nascent site is a photo of CAMP Rehoboth founders Murray Archibald and Steve Elkins, taken at the first Sundance Festival. Another photo features Lisa Goodman and her partner, Drew Fennell, who were the first couple to unite under Delaware’s civil union law in 2012.
One current entry serves as an introduction to Barbara Gittings, who grew up in Wilmington and was one of the earliest lesbian activists in America. Her activist career included lobbying to remove homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, and serving on the board of directors of the first national LGBTQ+ rights organization, the National Gay Task Force.
Another features Edwina Kruse (1848-1930), Howard High School’s first Black principal. A collection of Kruse’s letters to her lover, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, were purchased by the University of Deware Special Collections in 1985, and serve as archival evidence of queer love between two women of color in the early twentieth century.
Users are encouraged to check back often—the site will eventually include many more stories recounting how queer people and their impacts have been a strong, driving force in Delaware communities and American culture. ▼
Pictured, Murray Archibald and Steve Elkins at the first Sundance.