MLK's Legacy Has Deeper Meaning In Simsbury

SIMSBURY, CT — Locals are invited to a special Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in Simsbury on Monday, Jan. 16.

The "MLK Day in Simsbury Celebration" will take place at Eno Memorial Hall, 754 Hopmeadow St., Simsbury, at 2 p.m. in a community with more than just a passing interest in King's legacy.

The event will feature speakers and songs to honor the slain civil rights icon, who was murdered in Memphis, Tenn., in April 1968.

King is, perhaps, most famous for his "I Have A Dream" speech delivered at the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom" in August 1963.

Delivering the keynote speech at Simsbury's event is Dr. Camelia Lawrence, an accomplished surgeon with Hartford Healthcare specializing in breast cancer treatments.

She is also a motivational speaker and is frequently inspiring others to do good and learn from King's legacy.

"I commend the Town of Simsbury and state dignitaries for hosting this event and I am humbly looking forward to delivering the keynote address entitled, 'Fostering the Dream in Challenging Times,'" wrote Lawrence on social media.

Music and song will be provided by the Simsbury High School Gospel Choir.

King's personal history has deep ties to the Town of Simsbury, as he spent summers in town working the tobacco fields while a college student.

The site of his work is marked by a special memorial designed by SHS students and unveiled in 2021.

It is on the grounds of the Simsbury Free Library and is part of Connecticut's Freedom Trail.

From Oct. 25: 'Simsbury High MLK Project Is Truly A 'Game Changer'