Events in Steubenville celebrating MLK’s legacy

Steubenville Martin Luther King Jr. Association officers stood together ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, for which the group will present three community events. From left are Carol Ann Simmons, publicity co-chair; President Jim Baber and Treasurer Cydnie Howard. Officers also include Vice President Paul Rue; the Rev. Benjamin Calvert II, publicity co-chair; and board member Sharon Kirtdoll. Photo by Christopher Dacanay
STEUBENVILLE — The Steubenville Martin Luther King Jr. Association hopes for bountiful community support and participation around its MLK Day events, celebrating the late civil rights champion and his legacy.
From Saturday through Monday, the association will present three community events in Steubenville — ranging from a prayer service to a youth program — in commemoration of the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Widely known for his impact in the civil rights movement, King was a minister and political activist, whose writing and speeches American issues have had a lasting impact. King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, and assassinated on April 4, 1968.
The Rev. Jim Baber, president of the Steubenville MLK Association and pastor of Calvary Community Missionary Baptist Church, said he wants this year’s events to impart unity on participating members of the public.
“(I hope) we are constantly trying to reflect on what’s going on in our society and addressing the needs of those who are less fortunate than a lot of us are — the homeless, the unemployed, the drug addicted — all of those things, making sure that people are educated or getting some type of skill so they can live a good life.”
Keep the Dream Alive is the local association’s 2025 theme, in addition to the King Center’s national strategic theme: Mission Possible: Protecting Freedom, Justice, and Democracy in the Spirit of Nonviolence365.
The association’s first event will be a Martin Luther King Jr. Youth and Children’s Day from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday at the Sycamore Youth Center, 301 N. Fourth St.
Activities are designed for all ages, and the event is free and open to the public. Sponsors include the Steubenville MLK Association, ServeOhio and the United Way of Jefferson County.
At 7 a.m., the youth center will lead a student service project, giving young people a chance to give back to their communities. At 8:55 a.m., Sycamore program manager Michelle Clum will offer an opening prayer to officially begin the day.
Fellowship and reflection will take place at 9 a.m. during a community pancake breakfast and MLK birthday cake celebration. At 10 a.m., various youth performers will entertain the crowd: hip-hop artists MoTruth, Elisha “Platinum” Fletcher and CBE 180; the Kingdom Kids Youth Choir, sharing songs of unity and hope, and the Mighty Disciples Mime Team, an all-male mime team from Mount Zion Baptist Church.
From 10:30 a.m. until 11 a.m., Steubenville High School teacher and girls basketball coach Angelita Forte will deliver a keynote address. Forte is expected to share an inspiring message to encourage attendees to honor King’s vision of justice, equality and community service.
“This day is a beautiful example of how our community can come together to honor Dr. King’s legacy. We’re especially excited to partner with the MLK Association of Steubenville, led by James Baber, to inspire and engage our youth in meaningful ways,” said Bobbyjon Bauman, executive director of the youth center.
For information, individuals can contact the Sycamore Center at (740) 409-2986 or visit its social media channels at @sycamorecenter
At 6 p.m. on Sunday, the association’s 47th-annual Dr. Martin King Jr. Ecumenical Memorial Service will be held at Mount Carmel Community Baptist Church, 708 N. Fifth St.
The service’s keynote address will come from the Rev. John C. Welch, senior pastor at Sixth Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Pittsburgh and CEO of Flourishing Communities Inc., a health and wellness nonprofit.
A Pittsburgh native, Welch is an adjunct professor of theology and ethics and director of the Atkins Center for Ethics at Carlow University, and he’s an assistant professor of medical ethics at Duquesne University’s School of Osteopathic Medicine. He has a Ph.D. in health care ethics from Duquesne University, a master of divinity degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and a bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering and economics from Carnegie Mellon University.
In addition to being a pastor, Welch chairs the board for the Gamaliel Network, a nonprofit founded in 1986 to “train community and faith leaders in building political power and creating organizations that unite people of diverse faiths and races.”
Welch has received the Human Rights Award from Church Women United Inc., the YWCA’s Racial Justice Award, the Gamaliel Foundation’s 25th Anniversary Legacy Leader Award and the New Pittsburgh Courier Men of Excellence Award, as well as been named the NAACP Pittsburgh Branch’s 2007 Pastor of the Year. He is married to the Rev. B. DeNeice Welch, with whom he shares four children, three grandchildren and one grandchild.
Baber said greetings will be offered by Steubenville Mayor Jerry Barilla; Michael Jett Sr., president of Steubenville NAACP Unit 3203; and the Rev. Kimberly Arbaugh, newly named executive director of Urban Mission Ministries Inc.
Teighli Kight, one of the MLK Association’s four 2024 scholarship winners, will give an appeal for donations. The association provides yearly scholarships for Steubenville City Schools students who are pursuing higher education.
On Monday, MLK Day, the association will present an hour of reflections on King’s life, beginning at 9 a.m. The reflection hour will take place at Steubenville’s Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 905 Market St., and feature a keynote address from the Rev. Vaughn Foster, pastor of First United Presbyterian Church in Mingo Junction.
As it’s done for years, the association has posted banners commemorating the MLK holiday in local areas with high visibility. There are four banners in Steubenville this year, located on South Third Street by the Steubenville Visitor Center; North Seventh Street by North End Park; and on Seventh and Washington streets by the Seventh Street Plaza.
Later in their spring semester, students from all area schools will be able to participate in a multi-grade essay competition, awarding cash prizes for top finishers. The association’s essay program is chaired by Crystal Wicker.
Baber said the association is looking for young individuals to join and help continue the organization’s mission.