EDWARDSVILLE - Community members gathered at SIUE to hear from Donzaleigh Abernathy, a speaker, actress, writer, activist, and the goddaughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, SIUE hosted its 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Luncheon. Abernathy, the keynote speaker, spoke about her memories of “Uncle Martin” and her parents Rev. Dr. Ralph David and Juanita Jones Abernathy, leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. She urged audience members to speak up for what’s right and continue to fight for justice. “If I have to lay down and die, I will die for my freedom, because we’re not going back,” she said. “Courage is not when you’re brave and going on out there anyway because you want to go. Courage is when you’re timid…but you summon up the strength anyway. That's courage.” Abernathy said her father issued the call for the Civil Rights Movement after Rosa Parks was arrested.
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