Local NAACP president encourages people to dare to dream at MLK virtual event
Bryanna Stigger reflected on how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lives on in her and dared people to dream during a virtual event last week.
Several people gathered virtually on Wednesday evening to commemorate the life of King as part of the Ohio State University at Newark's Dare to Dream event. The event looked at the five A's - acknowledgement, accountability, advocacy, allyship, and action - needed to make dreams become a reality.
Stigger, president of the Licking County chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, spoke of how King's legacy lives on in her today, sharing some photos of herself working toward causes in recent years. Stigger said she attended a vigil for Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and helped organize a candlelight vigil for her in Newark. She reflected on how she felt for weeks, knowing Taylor shared her namesake, her identify, even her favorite color.
She also talked about her work fighting for justice for Julius Jones, an inmate who faced execution in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt granted him clemency in November and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
"(These are) so many instances of real life work. I feel like if Dr. King were here, obviously he would be an old man, but I feel like he would be here with me. I feel like he is here with me...If I can watch him have bullets fly and all of these things...and still he still has that grit and tenacity, I can do that too," she said.
Stigger also talked about some of her experience visiting the African American Historical Museum, where she went inside an old segregated bus. Stigger said she immediately felt uneasy walking on, seeing signs saying "whites only" and noticing the seats at the back the bus were significantly smaller than the ones at the front.
When it comes to allyship, Stigger said some of the most impactful work people can do is to call out their friends and family members for racist remarks and microaggressions.
She encouraged people to do what they can, including donate, protest, sign petitions, organize, spread awareness, and educate themselves on BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) experiences.
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Licking County residents dared to dream at MLK virtual event
