Hammond marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day with march, speeches and awards

Hundreds of residents gathered at the Hammond Civic Center for Hammond City’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. commemoration, which included a candlelight march, musical performances, prayers and a series of community awards. Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. and other local leaders urged the crowd to keep King’s call for civic engagement and unity alive.

Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. opened the program by noting the long-standing tradition of the MLK memorial walk and calling on attendees to counter division by staying engaged in civic life. “We’re in an era where division is being normalized, where fear is used as a political strategy,” McDermott said, urging residents to vote and to “keep moving forward” for justice and equality.

Councilman Barry Tyler Jr., the third-district council member and event host for the program, emphasized education as a core element of King’s legacy and warned about the spread of misinformation. Tyler presented a “Keeper of the Dream” recognition on behalf of the event to Chief William Andy Short, describing Short as a longtime community leader and Hammond’s first Black police chief.

Anthony Salinas, acting superintendent for the School City of Hammond, brought greetings on behalf of the district and framed the event theme, “Fighting for the Dream — 1 Hammond, 1 Hope,” as a call to support students, teachers and local schools. Salinas also invited attendees to a district PTA fundraising event at the Civic Center.

The program included musical selections and youth performances from Sho’Nuff Academy of Music and Arts and presentations by the Hammond Central ROTC, which posted and later retired the colors. The Hammond Ministerial Alliance presented several awards: the Rosa Parks Award to Cynthia J. Warner Lowe; a Distinguished Service Award to Chief William Andy Short; the Good Samaritan Award to Reverend Dr. Shirley Gillespie; and a Drum Major Award to Rich Hudson.

Reverend Homer Cobb of the Hammond NAACP reflected on civil rights history and urged continued civic participation, naming activists such as Fannie Lou Hamer while calling on attendees to use the ballot to change policy. The event closed with a prayer from Reverend Michelle Broadnax of First United Evangelical Lutheran Church and reminders to visit on-site vendor tables from local nonprofits and companies.

Organizers asked two drivers to move vehicles that were blocking exits (a Chevy Equinox plate CHL447 and a Kia Sorento plate A10TWJ) before the audience dispersed. The program emphasized unity, civic responsibility and support for education as local priorities tied to Dr. King’s legacy.