KENOSHA — Gateway Technical College is honoring those who embody the message of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through service to others in their daily lives.
The 30th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration will occur from noon to 1 p.m. on Jan. 15 at the Madrigrano Conference Center, 3520 30th Ave. in Kenosha.
Three locals have been named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarians:
- Nakeyda Haymer is the Wisconsin state director of Voices of Black Mothers United and is Racine’s Violent Crime Reduction coordinator.
- Ronald Tatum is the executive director at Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services, Inc. where he has taken action for a more inclusive work environment.
- Burlington Coalition to Dismantle Racism is a grassroots organization that started in Burlington to address the inequities faced by students of color in the Burlington Area School District.
Rev. Demetris Crum, of the Second Baptist Church in Kenosha, will be the keynote speaker. The theme of the event is “The Time is Now.”
This year’s Humanitarians will also be recognized at the event. The event will also be livestreamed on the college’s website.
Supporting families and reducing gun violence: Nakeyda Haymer
The person who nominated Haymer described her as a person who “believes in healing communities from within instead of leaning towards a top-down solution to violence.”
Haymer suffered the loss of her own brother who was killed in 2017 and has channeled that pain to be a support system to people in the community who have recently lost a loved one to violence.
Some of the events she has organized or assisted with are: Bigger than Basketball, a community event to honor lost loved ones, National Day of Concern – Student Pledge to Stop Gun Violence, Wear Orange Rally to End Violence and remembrance brunches during the holiday season in Racine for families who have lost a loved one to violence.
Ensuring inclusive workplaces: Ronald Tatum
Tatum created a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to work on ways to ensure Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services, Inc. is a workplace that embraces those tenets. Staff members say his goal is to ensure staff are better able to reach out to marginalized members of the community and provide them with the services they need.
“He is a patient, kind and knowledgeable teacher/boss who helps open the hearts and minds of those he oversees,” say his nominators. “He looks for opportunities to help us all embrace the differences and unique qualities we bring to our roles.”
Tatum was described as someone who celebrates the successes of staff and guides them through tough times. He seeks “peaceful resolutions to conflicts, always with an eye on how to increase our cultural awareness and inclusion.
“He exemplifies the meaning of ‘servant leader’ and has taken KAFASI into a new direction of diversion, equity and inclusion,” the nominators wrote.
Dismantling racism in Burlington’s schools
Burlington Coalition to Dismantle Racism is a grassroots organization that started in Burlington to address the inequities faced by students of color in the Burlington Area School District. Laura Bielefeldt is the president of the group.
BCDR grew quickly after the death of George Floyd and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha with a mission to address the inequities faced by people of color in general and particularly those in Burlington.
BCDR’s nominator says the organization has “modeled King’s approach to ‘creative tension’ as it challenged systemic inequities that adversely and disproportionately affect people of color in (Burlington Area School District) and in the local community.”
BCDR educates its members and the larger community about issues of racial bias on the personal and social level while challenging leaders and community members to address injustices.
The nominator added BCDR holds educational events “to help the community learn about other racial and cultural groups and addresses the reality of racial prejudice and systemic inequity today … and works with other local groups to raise awareness of minority groups and the injustices they face.”
Celebrations
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