Suburban residents celebrate King's legacy

Despite the frigid cold outside, Northwest suburban residents warmly celebrated the 80th birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. with spirituality and song Thursday night.

For eight years, the Arlington Heights-based Illinois Commission on Diversity and Human Relations has held a suburban remembrance and celebration of King to complement another event in Chicago.

This year's celebration, attended by elected officials, religious leaders and others, was hosted by the Sheraton Northwest Hotel in Arlington Heights.

The Rev. Clyde Brooks, president and CEO of the commission, said King wanted to be remembered simply as "a drum major for justice," and not by organized dinners. But Brooks felt confident King would understand that those working to carry on his dream mean well by honoring his memory in this way.

Like last year, the talented group of young singers called The Soul Children of Chicago made the remembrance of the slain civil rights leader a joyous and vibrant salute.

Led by Walt Whitman, whose physical energy and enthusiasm easily match that of The Soul Children themselves, the group's vocal prowess made the air of the hotel ballroom vibrate.

Among the globe-trotting group's talents is its ability to destroy stereotypes, Whitman said. Though from the South Side of Chicago, the kids are drug free, gang free and academically inclined, he said.

Despite rehearsing in a neighborhood often spotlighted for shootings, the members don't allow their energy to be affected by any negativity, Whitman said. Rather, they have something powerful inside that allows them to travel without fear through the city or the suburbs, from Africa to Sweden, he added.

The Rev. Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, delivered the invocation for the evening.

He said he was embarrassed to admit that he recognized the need for racial reconciliation relatively late in life, but that it's been a mission of his church for the past eight years.

Brooks said next Monday and Tuesday will be glorious days as King's birthday is officially commemorated and Barack Obama is inaugurated.

Though Brooks' enthusiasm for Obama equals the enthusiasm he felt for John F. Kennedy, he said he believes that so many voters being able to set aside the issue of race last November demonstrates that the nation is heading in a direction toward fulfilling King's hopes.

"I think of the greatness of America," Brooks said. "This is all about America. America should be patted on the back, because we are one."