EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WEHT) — One of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. most famous speeches is his “I Have a Dream” speech and that dream continues led by local leaders working to create and inspire change around the tri-state.
Different members of the community came together to discuss their roles as leaders
and how to provide impact by helping in different areas including inclusion and education.
“A lot of the conversation was about jobs and justice and then there was the million man march in the 90,s that was about jobs and justice and here we are in 2023 talking about the very thing, jobs and justice,” explained Alex Burton, Evansville city councilman. “So for me it’s about about making sure that we solve issues as it relates to jobs and making sure we create a more perfect and just America.”
One person trying to create opportunities for the next generation is Courtney Johnson founder and executive director of Young & Established.
“Just being able to pour back into our community but of course the next generation is the future. you here all the time so let’s actually pour into our future and make sure these kids have what they need to be successful,” said Johnson.
For Johnson he wants to continue giving his knowledge to the next generation to help them be the best versions of themselves.
One student Thompson works to help push to the next level of his career is Kingston Chambers who is a coder and built the “Young & Established” website.
“When I was like six I watched the movie “The Matrix” and you know all that green code stuff, I thought that was really cool,” Chambers laughed. “So I started designing stuff and made my first game when I was about seven and then from there I just took off and making websites and stuff.”
Each day is about taking a step towards moving forward and Burton says that is not only a goal of Dr. King but should be a goal of everyone.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to not only be here today not only talking about what’s going on here in Evansville but also talking about the things Dr. king spoke about in his speech one America,” Burton said.
