Providence inducts 2 into MLK Hall of Fame

PROVIDENCE – Two prominent city residents, Malcolm Farmer III, a lawyer with Hinckley, Allen & Snyder LLP, and the late Rev. Raymond E. Gibson, were inducted last night into the city’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hall of Fame.

The annual induction ceremony, the city’s fourth, is to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Rotunda at the R.I. Convention Center.

The awards – engraved crystal bowls – were presented to Gibson’s family and to Farmer by Mayor David N. Cicilline, who established the Hall of Fame in 2003, on the 40th anniversary of King’s famed March on Washington. The honorees’ names will later be inscribed on a plaque at Providence City Hall that also bears the quotation “Our lives begin to end on the day we become silent about things that matter.”

“At this time of year, we pause to reflect on the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in advancing social justice, peace and equality,” said the mayor, “and we recognize the heroes among us who have worked hard to keep his dream alive. The individuals honored here tonight have done just that, and we are deeply grateful for their efforts to improve the lives of others.”

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Gibson and Farmer were chosen by the MLK Hall of Fame selection committee for their efforts to continue the legacy of the late civil rights leader by making substantial contributions to acceptance, social justice, civil rights and equality.

Besides the awards themselves, the event included presentations by actress Barbara Meek, a longtime member of the Trinity Repertory Company; Mikela Almeida, a studenbt at Classical High School; John Britto, of the city Parks Department; the Rev. Sharon A. Key, of Woodbridge Congregational United Church of Christ; the Rev. Rebecca Spencer, of Central Congregational Church; and the Rev. David Mitchell and his Congdon Street Baptist Church Gospel Chorale.

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