For the fourth year in a row, the MLK Day event led by the team at Sterling Community Center and hosted by the team at The Baldwin Center, over 300 people attended the annual event, honoring the legacy of what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered for – equality and justice for all.
The event kicked off with Sterling Community Center’s Executive Director, Amanda Meeson, who thanked and acknowledged everyone for their part in making this event come alive. Director of Community & Senior Services, Tammy Trojanowski, who is also the Director of The Baldwin Center, gave remarks that inspired hope and unity. Next, Mayor Chess spoke with urgency, and encouraged the community to take action to live out Dr. King’s teachings of participating in change with a nonviolent approach to justice for all, fueled by a hope that together we are stronger. Before participants went on to engage in a variety of workshops, Donald Edward Smart, Esq., gave a blessing to set the stage for a day of togetherness – person to person.
Sterling Community Center organized community members, and businesses, to facilitate workshops, and provide food. They also created a MLK Day Passport to encourage residents to continue to support Black-owned businesses in town all year round.
Storytelling was a theme that popped up throughout the workshops. The Stratford Historical Society invited participants to share their stories in an interactive and ongoing way, to capture the oral histories of residents. Board Chair of the Stratford Historical Society, Michael Todd Cohen, led the interviews. He shared with us, “The Stratford Historical Society was grateful to participate in MLK Day by filming interviews and personal stories to share with the community, and to preserve in the historical archive for Stratford generations to come. The making and telling of American history is for everyone! We were thrilled and moved by the large turnout — so many stories of joy, struggle, hope, connection, and community, that we’ll be setting up another day to record soon.”
And the stories continued through artistic expression and led by Franklin Elementary School’s Art Teacher, Mr. Marc Maignan. “It was truly an honor to have been a part of such an exceptional program,” he said. “A huge thank you goes to Sterling Community Center for providing me with this grand opportunity and for bridging our community together to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.”
With ten workshops to choose from, participants were offered a chance to take a walk through an Empathy Path and decorate cookies, learn about how the Stratford African American Museum came to be, better understand the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a facilitated discussion by historian and teacher at St. Mark’s School in Stratford, Matthew Bonito.
With community members, participants from neighboring towns, public service leaders, small business owners (like Frenchies Coffee Bar, who provided breakfast), and the Girl Scouts who led an art activity, our Stratford community stood shoulder to shoulder, sat in chairs side by side, and together we were living proof that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream is within reach. Visit the Sterling Community Center’s website to learn more about the 2026 MLK Day Event.
