Leon County honors local leaders at MLK Day program; Rep. Gallop Franklin urges community to 'keep moving forward'

TALLAHASSEE — Leon County officials and community leaders gathered at the Leon County Courthouse for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day program that honored local activists and nonprofit leaders and featured a keynote address by state Rep. Gallop Franklin II.

Rep. Gallop Franklin II used Dr. King’s maxim ‘‘If you can’t fly, run; if you can’t run, walk; if you can’t walk, crawl’’ to press an audience of judges, elected officials and residents to persist through setbacks. ‘‘No matter what your circumstances are, you have to take it one day at a time,’’ Franklin said, urging people facing poverty, literacy challenges or mental-health struggles to keep moving forward.

The program, hosted by the MLK Foundation of Florida and supported by Leon County, included welcome remarks from Leon County Administrator Vince Long and Chairman Christian Caban, musical performance of ‘‘Lift Every Voice and Sing,’’ an invocation by Reverend Gregory James and the presentation of a series of civic awards.

Among the honorees, the program recognized Steve Beasley for longtime civic work with the MLK Foundation (founded 1985) and a range of community programs, including the Soul Santa holiday effort. Judge David Frank introduced the tribute to Beasley, praising his decades of service to veterans, students and local nonprofit partnerships.

Myesha Mitchell, executive director of the Greater Frenchtown Revitalization Organization, received the MLK 2026 Community Champion award for work addressing food access and neighborhood revitalization. LaShawn Gordon, executive director of United Partners for Human Services, was presented the Community Impact award for more than two decades of work in human services.

The Tallahassee Lenders Consortium was recognized with a Fair Housing award; a presenter said the consortium helped ‘‘create 200 homeowners in Tallahassee and Leon County’’ over the past two years. The program also highlighted arts and youth work by honoring Marcus Robinson, cofounder and longtime director of the African Caribbean Dance Theater, and named Daryl Jones and others as humanitarian award recipients; presenters said the Soul Santa program distributes roughly 150 bicycles annually to children.

Several elected officials and public servants were acknowledged in the program’s roll call, including Leon County commissioners, judicial officers, the county attorney and school system leaders. County Administrator Vince Long told the audience the courthouse hosts the event to reflect the legacy of Dr. King in institutions of justice and civic service.

The ceremony concluded with a benediction by Reverend Norris Barr and photographs with honorees and organizers. Organizers asked attendees to observe logistical limits — including a 175-chair limit driven by fire-code restrictions — and closed with a community reception.

The event served as a recognition of local civic work and an occasion for elected leaders and nonprofit directors to highlight ongoing neighborhood and youth programs; no legislative or formal county actions were taken during the program.