Activities included crafts and storytime for children, an art project for all ages, several presentations, and a chili supper with proceeds to Loads of Love, a project that provides free laundromat service for those in need.

A group of 32 people came together from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a presentation, small groups, and discussion focusing on the legacy Martin Luther King Jr. built with his desire for a “beloved community.”

King was a Baptist minister and civil rights leader who advocated for nonviolent resistance against racial segregation. He was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

“We may think we know the story, but the real question for us tonight is ‘What do we do now?'” Alpena Community College Political Science Professor Tim Kuehnlein asked the group before discussion began. “And where do we go from here? What can we do as individuals, in this current environment, to keep the story alive and make a difference?”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Pastor Lenny Avery addresses attendees at a Monday afternoon presentation at Alpena Community College titled “Love in Action.”

After playing the animated short film, “Black Soul” by Haitian Canadian filmmaker Martine Chartrand, retired ACC Professor Matt Dunckel talked about the difference between race and ethnicity.

“Ethnicity is about your cultural heritage,” Dunckel said. “It’s also about your personal history … But race is a purely social construct that was developed in the 15th century beginning in Lisbon, Portugal, where commodification of human beings became a tool for creating wealth for predominantly European people. So, race becomes a way of quickly identifying someone as inferior versus superior. So, when we talk about race, it has no biological validity.”

Dunckel spoke about how King pushed back against societal norms by focusing on conversation and community, creating a “pathway of partnership.”

“He was about creating ways in which community could be formed so that we’re doing this together, not trying to decide who’s good and who’s bad,” Dunckel said.

Pastor Tom Orth read several quotes by King, who desired a beloved community, a society where love, not violence, governs.

“As early as 1956, he talked about beloved community,” Orth said of King. “And particularly coming out of his speech after the Supreme Court had decided that desegregating the buses in Montgomery was the thing to do. This is what he wrote, ‘The end is reconciliation. The end is redemption. The end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opponents into friends. It is this type of understanding goodwill that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.'”

After presentations and group discussion, attendees conversed and each small group came up with at least five action steps to help foster an inclusive and open dialogue in an effort to move toward a beloved community.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness,” Orth said, quoting King. “Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”

Earlier in the day, Pastor Lenny Avery led a presentation and discussion about Love in Action from 3 to 4 p.m.

“Love is not merely a feeling — it is an action,” Avery told attendees. “True love is demonstrated by caring for others, fostering inclusion, and working toward social equity. It involves empathy, respect, and a commitment to the well-being of those around us.”

Avery talked about privilege. One of the slides in his presentation explained privilege: “When you think something isn’t a problem because it doesn’t affect you personally.”

He further defined privilege as “unearned advantages, rights, or immunities granted to individuals or groups. These advantages are often invisible to those who have them but can significantly affect life opportunities, social interactions, and access to resources.”

Avery’s presentation included thought-provoking video clips, including an interview with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. recorded just months before his assassination.

Avery concluded his presentation with a quote from C.S. Lewis: “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

Sandra Pilgrim-Lewis was slated to speak at the evening program, but she was unable to attend because of illness.