Jan 13, 2015 2 min read

Racial tension that has permeated parts of the country amid a wave of protests that punctuated 2014 will put unity at the center of this weekend’s annual celebration in Washington of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life.

“This year, it has even more importance than ever before,” said the Rev. Harold Knappenberger, who serves as the Washington NAACP’s chairman of religious affairs. “If things aren’t faced and taken care of, they just multiply and get worse. We’re much more conscious of that.”

But Knappenberger emphasized the Sunday afternoon service at West Washington United Methodist Church at 625 Fayette St., which will include a keynote speaker and music from three area choirs, will focus on remembering King’s civil rights work and how it can be applied today.

“This is not meant to be negative,” Knappenberger said. “It’s a time for coming together and gratefulness for the things we have and the things that need to be improved and strengthened.”

Debra Mason, pastor at John Wesley United Methodist in Washington, will serve as the keynote speaker. Choirs from Mt. Olive Baptist Church in Canonsburg, and Friendship Baptist and St. Paul AME churches, both in Washington, will sing during the service.

Knappenberger thinks speakers will discuss how to close the gap of inequality and the principles King expressed during his life.

“To stand up for this shows the power of what a small amount of people can do to create change for good when they’re together,” Knappenberger said.

The service begins at 4 p.m. Sunday and will include refreshments.