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Fort McCoy Deputy Garrison Commander thanks guest speaker at 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance

Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office

Jan. 19, 2023 | 1:04

Fort McCoy Garrison Deputy Commmander Lt. Col. Chad Maynard speaks Jan. 19, 2023, during the 2023 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance at Fort McCoy, Wis. He thanked the guest speaker Marcus Gentry for a great presentation. Gentry is the founder of The Respect Academy. He is an innovator, speaker, and consultant. According to his website, www.marcusgentry.com, The Respect Academy is “is a web-based service organization that uses the Socratic method of teaching, coaching, and creative empowerment strategies for the application of universal principles.” Americans celebrated the first official Martin Luther King Day, which is the only federal holiday commemorating an African American, on Jan. 20, 1986. In 1994, Congress designated the holiday as a National Day of Service and made the third Monday in January every year the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service — a “Day On, Not a Day Off.” King advocated for nonviolent resistance to overcome injustice as a means of lifting racial oppression. He created change with organized sit-ins, marches, and peaceful demonstrations that highlighted issues of inequality. King received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964; he was the youngest person to ever receive this high honor. He followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father by entering the ministry to become a Baptist minister. On April 4, 1968, at the age of 39, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn., as he stood on the balcony of his hotel. King had traveled to Memphis to lead a march in support of striking sanitation workers. The event is coordinated by the Fort McCoy Equal Opportunity Office and is open to all members of the Fort McCoy community. (Video by Scott T. Sturkol/Fort McCoy Public Affairs Office)