The Marengo County Historical Society will host the Black History Month celebration at St. Paul Baptist Church on Tuesday, Feb. 25, starting at 6:30 p.m.

Brooker first reached out to Tommie Reese, minister of music for the St. Paul Baptist Church Choir, for a musical performance. They will perform four to six songs such as “When All God’s Children Get Together” and “Amazing Grace.”

Reese, who has directed the choir for 43 years, said the performance is part of their frequent outreach into the community that has included events such as Christmas on the River and Christmas in the Canebrake.

“We’re very excited about being part of the Marengo County Historical Society’s Black History Month recognition program. We’re looking forward to a grand time,” Reese said.

Looking to add more to the event, Brooker scheduled a reading of Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech by several members of the community.

“I thought that some people may never have heard Martin Luther King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech in its entirety; especially younger people. In deciding the best way to plan that, I came up with the idea of having several gentlemen from the community read portions of the speech,” Brooker said.

So far, Nathan Hardy, Charles Jones, John Kennard, Pastor Fred Moore, Pastor Terry Gosa, Peyton Stevenson, Christian Parker and Pastor De’Ayrus Smith have all agreed to take part in the reading.

St. Paul Baptist Church is located at 1809 Old Spring Hill Rd. in Demopolis. The event is free to attend.

(This article originally appeared in the Wednesday, February 19 issue of the Demopolis Times.)