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Fayetteville holds Martin Luther King Jr. program, honors 1966 Central High School trailblazers
Summary
A Fayetteville community program marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day featured readings, music, youth presentations and a keynote by City Administrator Kevin L. Owens. The program recognized the first Black graduates of Central High School in 1966 and urged local unity and civic engagement.
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. — Hundreds of residents gathered for a Fayetteville Martin Luther King Jr. Day program that combined musical selections, youth readings and a keynote urging local action to honor King’s legacy.
The event, hosted by local clergy and community organizers, recognized the city’s 1966 Central High School graduates who were among the first Black students to integrate that school. Organizers called the honorees “trailblazers” and asked those present to stand or wave as each name was read.
City Administrator Kevin L. Owens delivered the keynote and framed his remarks around the 1975 song “Wake Up Everybody,” telling the crowd, "Wake up everybody, wake up Fayetteville, and wake up Lincoln County." Owens, introduced by First Lady Nicole Washington, spoke about expanding community engagement across different backgrounds and called for ongoing work to reduce injustice.
Young people were prominent in the program. Demarion McCurry, director of Fayetteville City Junior Pro Football and a 2022 Fayetteville High School graduate, reviewed King’s life and civil-rights-era milestones and urged youth to “bond together” and pursue education. He closed part of his remarks with, "We are all in this together." Fifth grader Olivia Small read an excerpt from King’s "I Have a Dream" speech and students performed poems and songs.
Clergy led prayer and scripture. Reverend Andre Washington, pastor of Saint Paul AME Church, closed the program with a prayer that included a litany of community aims, saying the crowd must "keep on fighting until every mountain of discrimination is moved." Other participating ministers included Reverends Dicker Sebastian and Craig Carmichael, who provided prayer and scripture readings.
Organizers encouraged attendees to continue fellowship after the program; refreshments and informal gatherings were planned at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church and nearby sites.
The program combined historical remembrance — recognizing Central High School’s 1966 first graduating Black seniors — with calls for local civic engagement and youth development.
