A student from Covington was among the honored guests as more than 600 people packed Paramount Theater in Seattle Jan. 15 for King County’s 22nd annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration.
Thirty-six county residents were featured in a video that recognized them for “the content of their character,” as King once stated as a true judgment of any person.
Another highlight of the event was the presentation of awards in the countywide essay writing contest, which was sponsored by the King County Civil Rights Commission. Eighth-graders were invited to write on the theme of “breaking barriers.” The second-place essay, as determined by judges, was written by Katie Carroll, who attends Cedar Heights Middle School in Covington.
It’s the second year in a row that a Cedar Heights student was among the top essay writers. Carli Pogson was the winner in 2008.
The first and third-place essays this year were by Jaida Raquel Morgan, of Seattle’s Lake Washington Girls Middle School, and Indigo Trigg-Hauger, of Kirkland Junior High School.
In honoring King’s legacy as a prelude to the Martin Luther King Day holiday Jan. 19, County Executive Ron Sims noted the historic 2008 election that culminates next week with the swearing-in of the nation’s first African-American president, Barack Obama.
“Progress of this magnitude often breeds complacency, and this is no time to become lax or comfortable,” Sims said. He noted that nationally, there are “gaping disparities in health, socioeconomic status and educational achievement between racial and class groups.”
Metro’s Rideshare program received the county’s Group Humanitarian Award for expanding commuter van ridership to low-income workerss, a community that had been previously underserved, Sims said. He said Metro’s efforts demonstrate its commitment to King’s vision.
County Councilman Larry Gossett and Sims unveiled the new green and white county flag that includes the county’s new logo – an image of King’s face – that was adopted by the county in March 2007.
Video of the King celebration will be televised on King County Television, which can be seen on Comcast, on Jan 17 at 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. and on Jan. 18 at 9:30 p.m.
