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The eighth annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — hosted and organized by Lift Every Voice Legacy (LEVL) — drew a standing-room-only crowd to the Edmonds Waterfront Center Monday. According to Waterfront Center CEO Daniel Johnson, about 1,000 people — adults and children — attended.
The free family event included speakers, music and dance performances, and activities ranging from arts and crafts to cooking to storytelling to dance.
Emcees Tom Harrison and Ciela Valle-Olguin called the event to order, welcoming attendees and inviting them to enjoy the day’s program and participate in the various activities. They next introduced the Sound of the Northwest Choir, which started the event on a high note with a rousing selection of gospel and civil rights era-inspired music that literally got the audience off their chairs and onto their feet.
They were followed by Daniel Johnson, who described the MLK tribute as the Waterfront Center’s “annual kickoff community event that sets the stage for our entire year.” He went on to highlight the strong partnership with Lift Every Voice Legacy and its founder Donnie Griffin, calling Griffin a friend and mentor, and praising the collaboration.
Johnson went on to share a personal story about how early in his career, his wife snuck into his office and painted a quote from King on his wall: “Everyone can be great because everyone can serve.”
“That quote remained on the wall for 10 years, and it was positioned so I could see it when I was on the phone, when I was on the computer, or when someone was meeting with me,” Johnson said. “Those inspiring words of Dr. King have become the ethic of my life, and to me it is at the core of a healthy community which is based on love and service.”
Johnson was followed by Waterfront Center Chief Operating Officer Robin Ullman, who recalled her personal memories as a little girl hearing of King’s assassination and seeing her mother cry as the news broke.
“As a Black family who moved from the South to Seattle, this affected us deeply,” she said. “Ever since, MLK Day has been both a celebratory and solemn day in our lives – celebratory for Dr. King’s legacy, and solemn for what it means to be Black in America.”
Ullman then introduced LEVL Founder and President Donnie Griffin, who has been spearheading the annual MLK tribute since its inception eight years ago.
“This is, I think, the fourth year we’ve been here at the Edmonds Waterfront Center,” he said. “Prior to that, we were at the Edmonds Center for the Arts. But then this beautiful facility was built. I’ve come to see as the living room of Edmonds, and I can’t think of a more fitting place to gather and celebrate a man who left us a recipe for love and peace and action.
“Our theme today is Love Demands Action,” he continued. “I can’t help but think that if the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King were alive and well today, he would be in Minneapolis, Minnesota, standing up for justice. Power without love is reckless and abusive but love without power is sentimental energy. Power is justly used when guided by love; together they implement the demands of justice and correct everything that stands against it.
“But always remember that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice, but it does not bend by itself. It bends because people like you and people like me are choosing courage over comfort and choosing community over division. If we do this work, Dr. King’s legacy will not be relegated to a chapter in history — it will be a living practice.”
Griffin’s remarks were followed by a land acknowledgment presented in words and music by Red Eagle Soaring Native Youth Theater.
Subsequent offerings included Mexican dance and music from Mount Vernon High School Mariachi, Nepalese Dance by Subhash and the Dubali Nepalese Group, a combined spoken work and martial arts offering by author, photographer, martial arts instructor and journalist Misha Carter, and performances by the Shorecrest Hip Hop Dance Group, and the Northwest Girls’ Choir
Prior to the closing ceremonies, the 2026 Beloved Community Award was presented to DanVo’nique Bletson-Reed of Marysville. The president of the Snohomish County Black Heritage Committee has been a tireless advocate, organizer and servant-leader, working both publicly and behind the scenes to uplift marginalized voices, expand access to resources, and strengthen community networks.
“DanVo’nique Bletson-Reed embodies what it means to build Beloved Community,” Griffin said. “Her leadership is rooted in humility, her service is sustained by love, and her impact is felt across generations. She consistently centers others’ well-being and creates spaces where communities of color are seen, supported and empowered.”
The event concluded with organizers thanking attendees and reminding them to carry Dr. King’s message into the community.
Again, congratulations Donnie. We are humbled to know you. It has been a long and wonderfully meaningfull trip. Your time with the ECA was only a prediction of what and who you are now.
Jack and Vivian.
Its beautiful to see young people striving to keep their traditions and heritage alive and at the forefront. It can be hard to see the beauty in such an ugly world right now.