The Battle for MLK Day recounts the complicated history of the annual celebration
On Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, the Dunbar Recreation Center, located at 300 Kessel Street in Weirton, will present The Battle for MLK Day at 12:30 p.m.
Performed in the style of Reader’s Theatre, The Battle for MLK Day is co-sponsored by the Ohio Valley Cloak & Dagger Company. The play recounts in dramatic fashion the challenges and obstacles that faced supporters of a federal holiday in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s honor.
“The idea of honoring Dr. King with a federal holiday was first proposed by Rep. John Conyers four days after MLK’s assassination,” said Pete Fernbaugh, artistic director of Cloak & Dagger and the playwright behind the production. “It took 15 years for the measure to pass, and during those 15 years, Dr. King’s family, friends, and followers had to fight tooth and nail against debunked allegations and low-key racism from state and federal leaders. I saw low-key, because they always tried to make it sound like their concerns weren’t rooted in race, but Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, believed they were, and the evidence seems to support her.”
Starring the Wayward Saints theatrical troupe, The Battle for MLK Day features Rob DeSantis as Sen. Jesse Helms, Robert J. Gaudio as President Ronald Reagan, Jalen Mccrary as Rep. John Conyers and Dr. King, and in her debut performance with Cloak & Dagger, Linda Spencer as Coretta Scott King. Bethany Fernbaugh and Malachi McClendon round out the cast as the Storytellers.
“The Dunbar Recreation Center is looking forward to honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday,” Earlean Jones, president of the Dunbar Recreation Center, said. “Unfortunately, because the forecast indicates extremely chilly weather, we’ve decided to cancel the walk this year.”
Instead, doors to the Dunbar Recreation Center will open at noon, and the production will begin at 12:30 p.m. A luncheon will follow.
“This day is just a small part of the legacy Dr. King left behind and shows togetherness among all people,” Jones said. “We want to promote this spirit of unity right here in Weirton.”
Officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021, the Dunbar Recreation Center is located at 300 Kessel Street, along Weir Avenue, in Weirton, W.Va.
