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Syracuse will host its first public commemoration of Martin Luther King Day Monday night at Rock Church.
Organizer Pastor Sarah Tuttle said she's been planning the event for more than a year, but recent events involving racism in Wawasee Community Schools energized her efforts.
Twice in the past year, teachers in the school district have come under scrutiny for actions considered by many to be racist. One of the incidents involved a quiz featuring racial terms and slurs. A public outcry eventually led to a march by the Ku Klux Klan last spring.
"It is very timely with everything. We need to come together and celebrate and encourage one another in the keeping of The Dream," Tuttle said.
Reaction to the planned event has been "fantastic," she said.
Activities will include music and several short speeches by a variety of people including Elizabeth Dobynes, vice president of the Indiana NAACP.
Two other speakers will include Wawasee assistant wrestling coach Darrell Carr and Rosie Belin, whose children have been in the Wawasee school district.
Also planned is a narrative and film strip depicting the life of King.
A candle lighting ceremony is also planned.
Although many people associate King day with the fight for civil rights among blacks, a diverse group is expected to participate, Tuttle said.
The Rays of Hope, a group of Hispanics in the school system serving as liaison with the school district, will also participate.
Excerpts of King's "I Have A Dream" speech will be read in English and Spanish, Tuttle said.
Rock Church is a inter-denominational church located on the east side of Lake Wawasee on Turkey Creek Road.
