WACO, Texas — Rain wasn't going to stop the Waco community from honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with its annual wreath-laying ceremony on Friday. The event is usually held at the MLK park but was moved indoors to the Bledsoe-Miller Community Center.
Class was put on hold on for some students as they marched down Elm Avenue from Rapaport Academy to the community center to remember and honor a historic icon.
"This is a great opportunity for everyone to come together and have this moment to where we are all blessing in one whole community and doing great things with one another,” said Rapaport student Sardonyx Sam.
Every year former County Commissioner Lester Gibson and his wife, Coque Gibson, kick off the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend with a wreath-laying ceremony. It was filled with singing and words of inspiration to bring the community together. One of the most important messages of the day was from former Waco Independent Student District superintendent Dr. Marcus Nelson about accepting responsibilities for your actions and moving forward.
"I still feel riddled with guilt and shame for the embarrassment that my personal actions have brought to this beautiful community,” Nelson said.
In 2019 Nelson was arrested on a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge.
"The mistakes I made recently were my own mistakes and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this community," Nelson said.
Nelson also addressed the kids about being careful about the decisions they make.
"You can do all these things right and you make one mistake, and you can lose that six-figure salary," Nelson said.
The Waco community will continue to honor King on Monday with a peace march at Indian Spring Park, which begins at noon.
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