Hopi High Jr. ROTC posts colors for Martin Luther King Day

PHOENIX -- The Hopi High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC), posted the colors and learned about Dr. Martin Luther King during the Living the Dream Award breakfast at the Civic Plaza in downtown Phoenix on Jan.13.

The Hopi High School Junior ROTC Color Guard are the first Native Americans to post the colors at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. event in Phoenix.

Several dignitaries received awards during the breakfast. Cloves Campbell Sr. won the Calvin Goode award and the MLK Living the Dream Award winners were Mother Lottie Childers, Imam Abdur-Rahim Shamsid Deen, Rev. Benjamin Thomas, Dr. Matthew Whitaker, Mary Wilcox and Ron Williams.

Other dignitaries that attended the MLK breakfast,included Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano and Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon.

Eva Bowen-Harris served as the mistress of ceremony.

Hopi High School Junior ROTC Color Guard Commander Eunice Nastacio, said, "I feel that the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast is very important. It was exciting, and it was the only interesting thing I ever did."

Nastacio said she had a chance to learn more about King and Rosa Parks. She added that the color guard did a good job of posting the colors.

"There were no problems," she said.

Hopi High Junior ROTC Cadet Private First Class Ryan Carl, who held the national flag, sad this was a new experience for him and his fellow cadets.

"I gained a little bit of knowledge about MLK and Rosa Parks," Carl said. "The Color Guard Team did well. I say it was the best we ever did. The cadets did everything well."

Hopi High Junior ROTC Cadet Staff Sgt. Jeremy Naha, who held the state flag, said he thought it was a good experience for the cadets and himself.

"It was also a good educational experience for me. It taught me history about MLK and Rosa Parks," he said.

Hopi High Junior ROTC Cadet Private First Class Annalisa Garcia, who held the Hopi flag, said the event was "pretty cool" and interesting.

"I got more information about Dr. MLK and learned what Rosa Parks had to go through," she said.

Hopi High School Junior ROTC Cadet Private First Class Raelyn Harvey, who held the Navajo flag, said it was a good experience for her.

"I think we did well. We didn't mess up," she said.

Hopi High School Junior ROTC Cadet Private First Class Alan Shupla, who held the Army flag, said the event was nice.

"There were lots of good, interesting people, good history about MLK and Rosa Parks," said Shupla.

Hopi High Junior ROTC Cadet Private First Class Tasha Labahe, who held the Marines flag, said she learned a lot about MLK and Parks. Labahe also said Junior ROTC did well at this event.

Hopi High Junior ROTC Cadet Private First Class Leandra Calnimptewa, who carried a rifle, said it was fun and a good experience.

"I learned a lot about civil rights and we did a good job," she said.

Hopi High Junior ROTC Cadet Private First Class Raylene Dashner, who also carried a rifle, said the event was good.

"Everything went as planned," she said.

Hopi High Junior ROTC Major Phillip Taylor, a Hopi High Army instructor, said he thinks MLK was one of the greatest leaders.

"He fought for equal justice and equal rights, not just for Black people, but for everyone else. We, as the people, need to remind ourselves about MLK, and we need to keep fighting," he said.

Major Taylor said the event gives the cadets the chance to see the relevancy of MLK and what he fought for.

"The Color Guard team did an outstanding job. They represented the Hopi people, and they understand why they were there," he said.

(Ben Keevama writes for the Hopi High School Bruin Times newspaper.)