Clovis comes together in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Bach Childrens’ Choir sang ‘Amazing Grace’ during the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast hosted by the Clovis Police Department at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District on Jan. 19, 2019. PHOTO BY RON SUNDQUIST/CLOVIS ROUNDUP

The Annual Community Breakfast Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was held on Saturday, Jan. 19 at the Clovis Veterans Memorial District.

The Clovis Police Department partnered with the Fresno MLK Unity Committee to host the celebration, which featured community award recipients, keynote speakers and singing.

Dr. Veena Kapoor, a teacher and practitioner of Raja Yoga Meditation in Fresno, provided a moment of inspiration and invocation.

“Non-violence means to know and embrace and our own inherent qualities,” Kapoor said. “What are they? Peace, love, happiness, purity, truth. That is who we really are. That is really knowing our own self. When we embrace that, we are non-violent.”

The Bach Children’s Choir performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, “Symphony of the Heart” and “Amazing Grace.”

Clovis Chief of Police Matthew Basgall delivered the welcome speech, while John Sturdivant from the Fresno MLK Unity Committee gave a blessing and Clovis Police Department Chaplain Kathy Sumner gave the benediction.

Clovis Unified School District students Abbi Akande, Faith McKesson and Trisha Prajapati were the keynote speakers.

“Anytime you can get together as a community and share and embrace your similarities, but also your differences, and move forward as a group knowing you’re stronger together, whether it’s at the breakfast or any other community event, that’s always a good thing,” Erin Ford-Horio, Clovis Police Department, said.

Ford-Horio said it’s a great event to have in Clovis because the Clovis Police Department has been a part of the Fresno Unity Committee since 2006.

“Our way of having one little part and giving back to the community and foster a community setting year after year is by putting on this breakfast,” Ford-Horio said. “We really hope come and enjoy the morning. Obviously they get fed and take part in a program that includes people from all over– Clovis, Fresno, Madera, Kingsburg, Selma. It spans farther than just our local neighborhood.”

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