Local NAACP holding Martin Luther King Jr. celebration featuring Kenyon College professor

Wooster Daily Record
·2 min read

The Wooster-Orrville NAACP is sponsoring a community service honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 7 p.m. Monday.

At event at First Presbyterian Church, 621 College Ave., Wooster, the winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest for students grades one-12 will be presented with their awards.

The speaker, Dr. Ric S. Sheffield, is a native of Knox County and Professor Emeritus at Kenyon College.

Throughout his career he has examined the history and experience of African Americans in rural Ohio, drawing on his growing up years in Mount Vernon. His presentation will focus on rural diversity and the complicated task of building bridges among residents of different races and backgrounds.

Dr. Ric S. Sheffield
Dr. Ric S. Sheffield

His recent book, “We Got By: A Black Family’s Journey in the Heartland,” examines his own family history in the context of mostly white rural Ohio.

Earlier in the day, from 2-3 p.m., Sheffield will sign copies of his book at the College of Wooster’s Andrews/Gault Library in the CoRE’s Cube, hosted by librarian Mark Gooch.

Other events on Monday include a service at the Wayne County Public Library’s Children’s Department from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Co-hosts are the Wooster-Orrville NAACP and the Wayne Center for the Arts. Among the activities offered, children will have the opportunity to decorate a quilt block for a blanket that will be donated to a local shelter.

The College of Wooster’s Dr. Martin Luther King celebration will focus on “Reframing Justice” with events planned for Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Leading up to Monday, college students are collecting items for care packages that will be distributed to local social service agencies.

The winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King Essay Contest are:

Grades 1-3Topic: Ruby Bridges, the first Black child to attend an all white school in New Orleans in 1960.

  • First place: Ryker Cook, Cornerstone Elementary, grade 3

  • Second place: Aayu Goudar, Kean Elementary, grade 3

  • Third place: Liberty Lambert, Parkview Elementary, grade 3

Grades 4-6Topic: Linda Brown and the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court ruling desegregating schools.

  • First place: Lucas Pindell, Edgewood Middle School, grade 6

  • Second place: Nadiya Erb, Orrville Middle School, grade 5

  • Third place: Lauren Kubb, Parkview Elementary, grade 4

Grades 7-9Topic: The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision and the role of Thurgood Marshall.

  • First place: Maximilian Seifried, St. Mary School, grade 7

  • Second place: Karter Wayt, Orrville Middle School, grade 8

  • Third place: Kai Marullo, St. Mary School, grade 7

Grades 10-12Topic: The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision and the slow pace of integration.

  • First place: Rhys Florence-Smith, Wooster High School, grade 11

  • Second place: Kaleb Wayt, Orrville High School, grade 11

  • Third place: Olivia Brown, Waynedale High School, grade 11

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Wooster-Orrville NAACP MLK Day program features Kenyon College speaker