Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

An early morning breakfast celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Siblings Elise and Aaron Sopelle presented their award winning vignette entitled ‘Voices of Freedom.’ The two discussed their European-American and West African heritage which prompted the creation of their piece. The presentation features excerpts from famous speeches throughout history including Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream Speech.”

Those were the words spoken back in 1963 about the vision Dr. Martin Luther King Junior had for racial equality in America. Today, Elise and Aaron Sopelle presented in Pine River discussing the evolution of civil rights for Americans that Dr. King helped pave the way for.

And it all started as a history project. Aaron and Elise interviewed relatives from both sides of their family to learn about their culture so they could educate others.

Voices of Freedom was selected as a judge’s favorite at the 2015 Minnesota State Fair. Featuring excerpts from Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, and Barak Obama, the goal of their presentation is to take the audience through a civil rights journey of American history and connect the journey from the past to the present.

They hope by sharing their heritage, that audience members take away a better understanding of cultural differences that are presented right in Northern Minnesota.