From the Desk of Nancy Church, RN – December 2024

Standing in the midst of a crowd at the Margaret B. Upton Arboretum, you could feel the sense of awe and singleness of vision as civic leaders and community members came together for the unveilings of the Martin Luther King, Jr. monument.

His eldest son, Martin Luther King, III presided as the honored guest and speaker at the celebration of the double unveiling. All the young people in the audience were invited to come and participate in removing the cloth. Following the unveiling, a march, complete with the cadence of the drums, commenced over the bridge to the Dwight P. Mitchell Park in Benton Harbor the for 2nd half of the unveiling. From there the program made another journey to Lake Michigan College for, “A Conversation with Martin Luther King, III”. At the Grand Upton Hall, Dr. King touched on his life growing up as a son of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the hope of the monuments bringing the two communities together in unity.

The Unified Civic Monuments Project began as the dream of “Two Kings for Two Cities” with Emanuel and Sharon Brown, who were unwavering in their commitment to stay the course until the dream became a reality. September 19, 2024, was recognized and will be continued to be celebrated as a day to reflect on the injustices of the past and moving forward with
commitment to come together, where all have “A Seat at the Table”. This step was the result of years of planning, working, and fundraising with multiple community partners and 400 community gift-givers. This grassroots project is visual message of coming together, of incorporating the principles it stands for into our daily lives.

As this year comes to an end, all of us at BCCS are grateful for the support that you give us, so that we can work to help relieve the difficulties of those going through a cancer diagnosis. Thank you for the events you’ve attended, the “pennies” you’ve collected, the supplies you’ve donated, the funds you’ve provided, your smiles when you come to the office. All these brighten our day and enable us to share with others.