SIMSBURY TODAY
VALLEY INTEL
Unique memorial celebrates MLK’s work in Valley By Katherine Napier Special to Today Magazine
EACH YEAR, the third Monday in January is dedicated to a man who led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, organized the March on Washington, and contributed much more to the cause of the civil rights movement and equality. In schools across the nation students learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and his accomplishments, but what many don’t know is that King spent time in Simsbury, a fact that some once thought to be a suburban myth. In 2010, 16 Simsbury students set out to determine the truth. Through their project — sponsored by the Simsbury Free Library and led by Simsbury High social studies supervisor Richard Curtiss — they discovered that as a teen King lived and worked in town at a tobacco farm the summers of 1944 and ’47, with more than 100 other Morehouse College students, as a way to pay for tuition. The students created an awardwinning documentary that revealed that during King’s time in Simsbury, he witnessed a desegregated world for the first time. The small town held a promise for a
Ceremony honors legacy of civil rights icon
Panel #3 of the MLK in CT Memorial, just before installation at the Simsbury Free Library different kind of society where everyone is treated equally. The documentary became nationally acclaimed when it was reported by the CBS Evening News. In 2011, students came up with the idea to commemorate King’s time here in the Farmington Valley and erect a memorial, and a decade later that idea has come to fruition. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year — Monday, Jan. 18 — Simsbury unveiled the five-glass-panel MLK in CT Memorial, with each panel representing
M O R E T H A N B R E A K I N G G R O U N D,
we’re building boundless possibility. The expansion of the Village at McLean will usher in a new era of inspired senior living for current and future residents. The new Goodrich building will offer striking views of neighboring Hop Meadow golf course and club membership to residents. Each day will present boundless opportunities for wellness and an array of first-class amenities including a modern fitness center and performing arts theater. Enjoy new dining venues and life-enriching programs with your neighbors in our active community. So much more than a beautiful new look, we’re transforming the way you live.
a stage of King’s life. The educational memorial, located on the lawn of the Simsbury Free Library, celebrates and recognizes this great civil rights leader and the role Simsbury played in his life. Due to COVID-related issues, the public wasn’t able to attend the memorial’s unveiling ceremony on-site at the Free Library, but the event was aired live on FM radio station 87.9 and live-streamed at the library’s dedicated MLK in CT website, www.MLKinCT.com — video of the ceremony is available on the website.
Dr. Elena Bielawski – DDS, FICOI, FMIII
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FEBRUARY 2021 – www.TodayPublishing.net – TODAY MAGAZINE
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