'Are you going to make a difference?'

By MIKE HALLIDAY

The Mirror

Here’s a New Year’s resolution to fulfill.

“Are you going to make a difference in someone’s life?” asked John Lukyamuzi, challenging the audience Monday at Federal Way’s annual MLK Day Community Celebration.

More than 400 people attended the annual event at Decatur High School honoring the life and work of Martin Luther King Jr., despite a storm that put out heavy, steady rain all morning.

This is the 12th year of the celebration. Each year, a theme guides the event, with this year’s being “The small actions of many people.”

Lukyamuzi, the keynote speaker, said people need to keep King’s work and hope by not just saying the words, but taking action.

King “was a man of action,” said Lukyamuzi, a Seattle entrepreneur and motivational speaker.

The event was more than two hours long and included performances by a Japanese drum group, kabuki dancers and an African dance ensemble. André Sims, a local pastor, was the master of ceremonies.

Lukyamuzi, a native of Uganda who is now a U.S. citizen, noted people need to express and show love to each other and especially their enemies. That can be difficult, he acknowledged.

“When you love, you cannot be a loser,” he said.

And people can’t keep looking at the past, but must have their attention on the future, he said, noting King didn’t dwell on the history of what had happened, but worked for what could happen.

He also pointed to King’s faith in God for his success and perseverance, urging the audience to pray for tsunami victims in south Asia and U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.

Members of the community, representing five aspects of Federal Way, stood with candles as Mayor Dean McColgan lit the city’s Community Flame.

The morning started with thunder from the stage. Gary Tsujimoto and Nancy Ozaki, founders of One World Taiko, got the audience’s attention at the start with a drum performance. Taiko started in Japan as an ancient form of drumming. Some of the drums are larger than a person and they sound with authority.

The duo later got a standing ovation for its finale.

Ajabu African Dance Ensemble also performed, with about 20 dancers ranging in age from children to young adults. The high-energy group did several dances, sometimes accompanied by live music.

There was some unplanned excitement when the festivities were briefly halted while someone backstage was treated for a “near fainting.” According to the Federal Way Fire Department, a 16-year-old girl finished her performance and became winded and collapsed off-stage. She was given oxygen and taken to St. Francis Hospital. Her condition wasn’t revealed.

A trio of dancers from Kabuki Academy made an appearance on the stage. Mary Ohno led the other dancers in a traditional New Year’s dance from Japan.

Federal Way Public Schools students were honored for their creative efforts. Ron Walker, chairman of the MLK Celebration Committee, read the names of students who won contests for posters, essays and poetry about King and the civil rights movement.

Sacajewa Middle School got special praise for sweeping the poster and essay portions of the middle school competition.

Jasmine Rogers and Ann Sheree Jackson, juniors at Todd Beamer High School and the respective poem and essay winners, read their works to the audience.

Juanita Jackson came to the celebration to watch her niece perform with the Ajabu group. She was recording the event and liked everything she had seen.

“I loved the drums. They were very powerful,” she said.

Staff writer Mike Halliday: 925-5565, mhalliday@fedwaymirror.com

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