Nearly 400 people filled The Westport Library’s Trefz Forum on Jan. 17 for the town’s 20th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration, a milestone event featuring Peabody Award–winning journalist and scholar Jelani Cobb in conversation with award-winning author and filmmaker Trey Ellis.
Despite snowy conditions, 380 community members gathered to reflect on Dr. King’s life and legacy, engaging with discussions on the present-day relevance of history, the role of truth in sustaining democracy, and the responsibilities of individuals within their communities.
“The fundamental unit of democracy is ‘neighbor,’” Cobb told the capacity crowd, emphasizing the importance of civic responsibility and shared humanity.
The annual celebration is a collaborative effort between The Westport Library, TEAM Westport, the Westport Country Playhouse, the Westport Museum for History and Culture, and the Westport/Weston Clergy Association. The Bridgeport-based Walter Luckett Jr. Foundation also participated, bringing students from schools including Kolbe Cathedral Prep School in Bridgeport, Achievement First Amistad High School in New Haven, and Engineering and Science University Magnet School in West Haven.
Cobb highlighted public libraries as one of his favorite expressions of American democracy, calling them a “wildly idealistic, democratic undertaking” that invites learning without barriers. Ellis echoed that sentiment, referencing his role moderating a November screening at the library of The Librarians, a documentary examining libraries as spaces of intellectual freedom and resistance.
Production for the event was handled by the library’s Crew Call program, led by Video Producer David Bibbey, with student participants Chris, Anthony, Ryan, and Catalina taking part through a partnership with the Walter Luckett Jr. Foundation.
Before the public program, Cobb met with students interested in journalism, offering career advice and stressing the importance of engaging with diverse forms of media. “If you want to become a journalist, you have to look at journalism the way an engineer looks at a bridge,” he said.
The celebration opened with a performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Varrick Nelson Jr., a Southern Connecticut State University student, followed by remarks from Library Executive Director Bill Harmer, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and TEAM Westport Chair Harold Bailey. Attendees included Walter and Valita Luckett of the Walter Luckett Jr. Foundation and Westport First Selectman Kevin Christie.
“The call to resist silence has always depended on truth,” Bailey said. “Within our democracy, there is no more critical pillar for the truth than a free and independent press.”
As the event concluded, speakers and attendees reflected on Dr. King’s vision of a “beloved community” rooted in justice, equality, and shared humanity. Marking two decades of celebration, the gathering reaffirmed that vision as an ongoing commitment.
“Every day in the United States of America ought to be Martin Luther King Day,” Blumenthal said.
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