Community members of both Benton Harbor and St. Joseph gathered at Lake Michigan College today to hear Martin Luther King III, the son of Martin Luther King Jr.

The speaker shared his thoughts on the new monuments dedicated to his father, and the bigger picture of bringing communities together.

Benton Harbor city commissioner Edward Isom tells us he believes this day is the start of two communities working as one.

“I think with today, A seat at the Table and The Mountaintop, it just brings in the monument prospect of bringing the community together in unity and that is big for this community,” Isom says. 

During King’s speech, he talked about his childhood upbringings and what life was like with his father. He also mentioned that we need to work together to build the best community for Berrien County, and these monuments are the start of something bigger.

To remember the day and the occasion, Benton Harbor City Commissioners proclaimed November 19 to be MLK Unity Day.