Denham Springs Community honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD)- Due to the pandemic, the Denham Springs Community gathered together via zoom today to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., instead of their usual march and in person program.

This service was also dedicated to the memory of Denham Springs Community giant, Arthur Perkins, who passed away this last year due to complications with COVID-19.

Perkins attended and served as principal to West Livingston High School, which was one out of only two all black schools in Livingston Parish before desegregation. He also served as, so far, the only Black Councilman on the Denham Springs City Council, serving for 36 years before retiring.

MLK Jr. Task Force Chairman Fred Banks said, “Mr. Perkins has been with the task force from day one and A very, not just outspoken, but an outstanding participant in the community and we really dedicated this program to him so to speak.

The program’s theme this year was “Lest We Forget,” which paid homage to those who paved the way for the future.

MLK Jr. Task Force Member Daniel Landry said, “The purpose was to continue and to keep the dream alive, and to keep the memories alive of all of the things this community meant to all these people.”

Although the usual service was not in-person, that did not get in the way of their Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration. There were musical selections and words spoken to celebrate MLK Jr. Day.

“This is the first year we really had to be creative and come up with a way to present the annual Martin Luther King program to the community, said Banks.”

The community hopes they will be able to meet at the historical landmark, L.M. “Mrs. Louise” Lockhart community center and march down the streets of Denham Springs once again.

“We look once again to have it on a larger scale next year. We are hoping The Lord will allow it to release its hold on society,” said Landry.

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