ST. PETER — As her team members took turns sharing what values they believe a United States president should bring to office, Indivisible St. Peter/Greater Mankato volunteer Aisho Abdi reflected on the organization’s inauguration and Martin Luther King Jr. Day event.
Abdi, who is Somali, described what King means to her.
“I think (MLK Jr. Day) should be more recognized because Black lives matter, and (King) actually did such an amazing job for bringing his dream forward even though a lot of people couldn’t do it back then,” she said.
“I feel like I matter, and that’s so amazing.”
Indivisible’s event provided a different perspective in recognizing Inauguration Day and remembering King.
Called A People’s Inauguration and MLK Jr. Day Celebration, the afternoon began with facilitators asking their teams to reflect on what policies they want to see in the next four years and what King means for their values and society today.
Event organizers then took the notes from those discussions and drafted an inaugural address for community members and youth to read.
Indivisible leader Marian Broida said the organization wanted to give the community a chance to share their values in a positive way.
“Sharing some joy and reflecting on the meaning of Martin Luther King Jr. in our lives and for our society. So this is meant to be a very positive event,” she said.
“One of the main things we want to do is build community, and we want to reach out to different communities. You’ll notice that today we have a very large representation from the Somali community. There is a very big Somali community in St. Peter.”
Monday’s event also featured art displays and a volunteer choir; organizers like Indivisible Founder Yurie Hong explained what each aspect of the program represented.
“We thought that rather than focus our attention on all of the negative things that we know are coming, we are laying out our own vision for what we would want a president to come into office willing to fight for in ways that would support the American people,” Hong said.
Hong also described art as fundamental to being human.
“To be fully human is to acknowledge all of the parts of our culture and the things that make us feel alive and connected,” she said. “Those are the kinds of things that we cannot give up to despair if we’re going to keep hoping and keep fighting.”