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Convent of the Sacred Heart celebrated the memory of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the annual prayer service, Friday, January 15. The Concordia College GospelKnights, Vision Steppers, and guest speaker Sr. Barbra Dawson Religious of the Sacred Heart and two-term head of the Provincial of the United States and Canada province, helped to commemorate Dr. King’s legacy in the DuBois gymnasium.
Mr. Carson Stapleton leads the GospelKnights, a choir from Concordia College in Bronxville, New York. The group not only sings, but also integrates spoken word and movement into its performances. The choir sings in chapel services, concerts, and worship services on and off campus, according to concordia-nyu.edu.
Mr. Dabe James created and now directs the Vision Steppers, a step dancing group composed of high school students. The group strives to instill stability, love, and responsibility in its members’ lives, according to visionsteppers.com.
During the prayer service, members of Sacred Heart’s Madrigals sang alongside the GospelKnights. After learning the song and dance steps from the GospelKnights the previous day, the two groups performed a song version of the Lord’s Prayer.
Sr. Barbara Dawson was the keynote speaker during the prayer service. Sr. Dawson is a lawyer and educator. She was the Head of School at St. Martin de Porres School in West Oakland, California, and a consultant to the Urban Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Oakland, California.
Sr. Dawson spoke about how the Goals and Criteria help members of the Sacred Heart community live peaceful, non-violent lives as Dr. King taught. 
The service concluded with the senior class’ annual tradition of singing and dancing along with the GospelKnights and Vision Steppers. The seniors split into groups and learned dance moves from the Vision Stepper’s routine or sang “Do You Know Him” with the GospelKnights.
Mr. Dabe James and Mr. Carson Stapelton interview with King Street Chronicle Co-News Editor Cheyann Greirson during the Martin Luther King Jr. prayer service, Friday, January 15.  

-Nadia Zuaiter, Staff Writer