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Utah House Hosts Martin Luther King Commission; Darius Gray Links National and Local History
Summary
The Utah House met as a committee of the whole to receive the Utah Martin Luther King Human Rights Commission. Commission director Michael Styles and Phyllis Caroon introduced Darius Gray, who traced national civil‑rights milestones and local Black pioneer history, including the story of Green Flake.
The Utah House of Representatives resolved into a committee of the whole to hear a presentation from the Utah Martin Luther King Human Rights Commission, and Darius Gray delivered a speech tying national civil‑rights milestones to Utah history.
Phyllis Caroon, representing the commission, introduced commission members and named Michael Styles as the commission director before presenting Mr. Gray as the day’s speaker. Gray opened with a cultural call-and-response and said the day was “an opportunity” to value diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Gray framed his remarks as both national and personal. He summarized landmark national events, saying the 1963 March on Washington drew “200,000 participants” and noting that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968; Gray identified James Earl Ray as the killer. He used a short, oral quiz of historical questions to illustrate how public schooling emphasizes some histories and omits others.
Moving to local context, Gray said Black people first came to Utah in 1847 and named three early Black pioneers — Harkley, Oscar Crosby, and Green Flake — as part of the first pioneer company. He told the chamber the territorial legislature authorized slavery in 1852 and contrasted the legal progress represented by Brown v. Board of Education (1954) with the persistence of segregation in practice.
Gray read words attributed to Green Flake describing life as an enslaved person and the hardships endured in the Salt Lake Valley pioneer era. He tied those recollections to Dr. King’s call for inclusiveness and urged the House to remember and embrace the legacy of early Black Utahns.
After the presentation, Caroon presented a commemorative gift to the presiding officer and said the commission’s vision is “unity through diversity.” The presiding officer thanked the commission for its service and for the presentation.
The committee of the whole was later dissolved and the House recessed until 2 p.m. The Rules Committee was announced to meet upon adjournment.
The presentation combined national civil‑rights history, personal recollection, and local pioneer testimony; no formal legislative action on policy or funding followed from the commission’s appearance.
