PEORIA, Ill. — Florida’s first African-American nominee for governor was they keynote speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon at the Peoria Civic Center.
During his first ever visit to Peoria, Andrew Gillum, said his message during the keynote speech would be about voting, the renewal of the voting rights act, voter suppression, voter intimidation, and Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
“I think it’s apropos in this moment that we lift up Dr. King’s legacy by not just talking about the history. While we learn from the history, I think it’s extremely important that we also lift up, as inspiration, how our history will inform our future,” Gillum said.
He said it is important to make the holiday not just a day of observance, but as a reminder to let his legacy live through services all year long.
Martin Luther King Jr. had an affect on Gillum’s life.
“The fact that I was able to serve as mayor of Florida’s capital city, to be able to have access to the ballot box, to be able to get on a public bus and sit anywhere I want to,” Gillum said. “Or, go into any public accommodation that I choose and have to be served is a direct legacy of Dr. King.”
He said for young voters, age is just a number.
“At any age that you are, that you have the opportunity to get into the process. You see something that you don’t like, you have an opportunity to change it,” Gillum said. “I would re-phrase that to say you have a responsibility to change it.”
Gillum was the youngest person to serve on his city’s council at the age of 23.
“If you’ve got a heart to care with, and the energy and the will to work, you have a roll to play,” he said.
Councilwoman Denise Moore was in attendance at the event, and she agreed that the event is a good reminder to keep Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy alive.
“He stood for equality, he represented that all people are equal, and in everything that he said and did, he tried to represent that. And, that’s what I try to do in my service,” Moore said.
Moore said that communities all over the world, including Peoria, are still working on overcoming boundaries that King tried to break.
