BUCKHANNON, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginia Wesleyan College held its annual Martin Luther King Day dinner and program Monday, continuing a tradition that has been ongoing for several years.

The Center for Cultural and International Affairs organized the event with the theme “Non-Violence 365: Creating a Community of Peace and Love.”

The program featured several speakers and musical performances before the keynote address.

“Anytime we can invite not only our campus community to come together for an event but the broader community, the Buckhannon community, the north central West Virginia community to come in to our campus, that’s just a wonderful thing for all of us,” said James Moore, president of West Virginia Wesleyan College. “We really do want to be not just a place for our students but the entire community to come together and celebrate the legacy of great leaders.”

Keynote speaker Danielle Walker received the Martin Luther King Achievement Award in 2022 from the West Virginia University Center for Black Culture and Research. Walker, a former West Virginia House of Delegates member, transitioned into advocacy and motivational speaking in 2023.

Walker based her keynote address on Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

“I remember every Sunday at my great great grandmother’s house after we would all finish eating Sunday dinner she would play on the record player the ‘I have a dream’ speech,” Walker said. “It was part of my culture and my upbringing.”

The event concluded with attendees circling the room and sharing that everything is all one love.

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