IT’S ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY: Princeton Councilman Lance Liverman delivered a positive message at a prayer breakfast held in memory of Martin Luther King, at Princeton University’s Carl A. Fields Center. Bob Durkee, the University’s vice president and secretary, looks on at far left. (Photo by Denise Applewhite, Courtesy of Princeton University)

This year for the first time, Princeton University designated Martin Luther King Day a school holiday. That gave students and faculty the day off on Monday, January 16, and many of them joined members of the local community to remember the late civil rights activist at a special prayer breakfast in the University’s Carl A. Fields Center.

For more than two decades, the University held events in memory of Dr. King at Richardson Auditorium. The prayer breakfast was a first for the school, Vice President and Secretary Bob Durkee said in his introduction of the featured speaker, Princeton Councilman Lance Liverman.

The standing-room-only event was also attended by Council members Jo Butler, Heather Howard, and Tim Quinn. Mr. Liverman’s talk, which earned him a standing ovation, was followed by a performance by members of the choir from First Baptist Church, led by the Rev. Donald Locklear, the church’s Minister of Music.

Mr. Liverman’s focus was community. “The word means different things to different people,” he said, but “we are one community. We have more in common than we actually realize.”

Born and raised in Princeton aside from a few years in Trenton, Mr. Liverman attended Princeton public schools, as have his two daughters. His father, who died when he was three, was the first African American lighting technician at McCarter Theatre, Mr. Liverman told the crowd. Though Mr. Liverman lived on Witherspoon Street across from Community Park School, he was bused to Littlebrook School to help keep the schools integrated.

“I believe to truly build a great community starts in the very early years,” he said. Children must be taught early to intervene if they witness bullying, even if it is uncomfortable. “You can’t stand by and be silent.”

Referring to Dr. King, Mr. Liverman read portions of his “I Have a Dream” speech delivered during the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. He also touched on current events, including the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the recent presidential election. “This past election left many of us feeling fearful, and fearful is the word,” he said.

He praised the local community for banding together seven years ago to start the Princeton Youth Project at Cornerhouse, which provides an alternative to joining gangs; and more recently the designation of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood as a historic district. “It took the community to make the decision and will take the community to preserve this great neighborhood,” he said.

Mr. Liverman got a bit emotional quoting his positive-thinking, late mother. He concluded by saying, “I believe every single person in this room has good in them.”

Other events held locally in honor of Martin Luther King Day included performances, interactive workshops, and discussions sponsored by The Arts Council of Princeton. DoroBucci Contemporary African Dance of Princeton University; the Princeton University Gospel Choir; “Just Wing It!,” an improvisational performance from Princeton High School; and a panel discussion, “How to Stay Cool, Calm, and Connected in Turbulent Times” led by Not in Our Town, were among the offerings.