Olean Group Steps Up to Host MLK Day Celebration

When a longtime organizer fell ill, a small but determined group in Olean, New York made sure Martin Luther King Jr. Day wouldn't go unmarked in their community.

The Race Unity Circle is stepping in to host a celebration this Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Olean Public Library. For years, the African American Center and members of the Baha'i faith hosted the event at the Presbyterian Church on Laurens Street, but when circumstances changed, the Circle knew exactly what to do.

The event will feature two of King's most powerful speeches: "I Have a Dream" and "I've Been to the Mountaintop." Attendees will also enjoy comfort food prepared by member Ola Mae Gayton, including fried chicken, collard greens, and cornbread. These were some of King's favorite dishes.

Jil St. Ledger-Roty, an original member of the Circle, explained the group's simple but powerful philosophy. "We focus on the activism that's needed and also remember that it's not enough to be against something but to know what we're working for," she said. "We have to have a dream that we're trying to make real."

The Race Unity Circle formed in 2017 after the Unite the Right march in Charlottesville, Virginia. When St. Ledger-Roty and others waited for someone to address rising tensions around race in their community, they realized they needed to be that someone.

The founding members traveled to New York's Omega Institute to learn about racial unity circles, a concept developed by the Baha'i community in Poughkeepsie. They brought the model home to Olean and have been running it ever since.

The Ripple Effect

For nearly a decade, the Circle has quietly transformed their corner of Western New York through education and conversation. They've hosted an antiracist book club featuring authors like Ta-Nehisi Coates and Octavia Butler. They've invited local leaders and educators to speak on everything from residential schools to preventing bias before it takes root.

Vernon Robinson, the first Black person to serve on the Olean Common Council and its current president, spoke about anti-Black racism. Pete Hill of the Cayuga Nation led discussions on residential schools. Educational consultant Emily Chiarello shared strategies for teaching people out of their biases.

The Saturday celebration has space for 45 people, and the library asks attendees to register in advance by calling 716-372-0200. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Sometimes the most important work happens when ordinary people see a gap and simply decide to fill it.