By: Gena Johnson | West Bloomfield Beacon | Published February 8, 2026
WEST BLOOMFIELD — The West Bloomfield School District recently celebrated its 32nd “United We Walk” event commemorating the annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday Jan. 18. The event celebrates his message that all are deserving of dignity.
This year’s theme was “One Dream, One World, One Walk,” with a program starting at West Bloomfield Middle School located, 6000 Orchard Lake Road in West Bloomfield Township.
Tieast Leverett-Thorton served as the mistress of ceremonies.
“(It has been) 32 years … for this community to gather, to remember and to reconnect in a world that often asks us to move on, stop talking about the hard things. We have chosen differently; we have chosen to show up,” Leverett-Thorton said.
“Dr. King spoke of a dream that is bigger than one person — a dream rooted in the promises of this nation,” she continued. “That dream lives on in the choices we make, the stands we take, and the willingness to do the work.”
Sonya James and Township Supervisor Jonathan Warshay served as the adult co-chairs, partnering with five West Bloomfield High School 12th grade student co-chairs: Kate Mandel, Riley McCaskill, Samiya McPherson, Daniel Owens and Inaya Qureshi.
The township supervisor described West Bloomfield as “a welcoming, inclusive and diverse community.”
“We are one West Bloomfield,” Warshay said.
Tim Holzerland, pastor of Shepard King Lutheran Church in West Bloomfield and chaplain for the West Bloomfield Fire Department, gave the invocation. He began by thanking all the people in attendance, especially the young people. Then he started the prayer with a message from King.
“These young people are carving a tunnel of hope through the great mountain of despair,” Holzerland said. “I ask, oh Lord, you lend us a shovel that in our day and in our time that we might dismantle that mountain of despair, to help us keep digging, keep moving and striving for justice.”
The WBSD students, from elementary through high school, prepared for the celebration by making buttons, posters and submitting artwork in keeping with the theme. Eleaza Long, a fifth grader at Sheiko Elementary School, won the button design contest among 150 entrants.
Keynote speaker Kenneth Gutman, the Oakland County Intermediate School District superintendent, spoke to the themes of the day.
“In the face of disruptive times, Dr. King inspires us to lead with hearts wide open and courage unshaken. ‘One Dream, One World, One Walk’ beckons us to build a world grounded in justice, compassion, and unity … a world where every child, in every community, can dream boldly and thrive fully,” Gutman said.
The event culminated in a commemorative walk along Orchard Lake Road as a visual reminder of what King stood for, said event organizers.