In 1965, thousands of people participated in a march from Selma, Alabama, to Montgomery. Among those who took on the 54-mile protest was Beatrice “Bea” Moten-Foster.
Moten-Foster has a long history in Muncie. After moving to Muncie with her husband, a Ball State University professor, she got to work. While Moten-Foster died in 2011, she built a legacy here in Muncie that will continue to be an important contribution to the lives of people who live here. From founding The Muncie Times and establishing organizations like the Muncie Coalition of 100 Women and the first Muncie Black Expo.
Another lasting impact Moten-Foster has had on the community was founding the Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. Dream Team in 2003.
RELATED: Remembering Beatrice “Bea” Moten-Foster and The Muncie Times.
The MLK Dream Team focuses on educating and spreading awareness in Delaware County and Muncie on racial stereotypes and intolerance by providing spaces for conversation.
The team is made up of volunteers, including the officers of the organization.
The chair of the organization, WaTasha Barnes Griffin, is an active member of the community. On top of volunteering on the team, she is the CEO of the Muncie Young Women's Christian Association and she works on the Muncie Community Schools (MCS) Board of Trustees.
Barnes Griffin has been the chair of the Dream Team for two years but has been a member for about five years. She said it is “an honor” to lead the organization. While she describes herself as a part of the “younger folks in the organization,” she is very grateful to be able to serve on the committee with them.
“Despite our race, color, beliefs, socioeconomic status … MLK Dream Team wants to be all. We touch all points of our community,” Barnes Griffin said. “There are a lot of structures and systems involved in making racism what it is. So, our work is to be more inclusive, to welcome diversity and belonging.”
Another active member of the community, Susan Fisher, is the secretary of the MLK Dream Team and works at the Muncie Public Library (MPL). She said the two go hand-in-hand due to the history and educational aspects of both.
Fisher started as a member of the organization during the first year it started. She got “assigned” to the Dream Team through her MPL work when the team planned the visit of TV Judge Gregory Mathis to Muncie Central High School.
Since Judge Mathis’ visit, Fisher has stayed with the organization, finding value in fostering “civic pride and historical pride” in the Delaware County community.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for people to come together — people from all walks of life — and work together and have that shared goal,” she said.
She also noted the importance the team has in all aspects of the Muncie community. The Dream Team includes perspectives of those in MCS and Ball State University as well as those working in the community.
“The Dream Team has a special niche, right? It is about advocacy, it is about civil rights education, it is about ensuring that the next generation and the generations to come know their history. Know how history impacts our today,” Barnes Griffin said.
Beth Messner, the assistant secretary, has been a part of the organization since 2004. She fulfills this trifecta of the Dream Team, connecting the community through her job at Ball State as a communications studies associate professor.
Messner described the Dream Team as “a small but mighty and very committed” organization. The team also admires the importance of volunteers, something they are always looking for.
Past projects of the non-profit organization are the Freedom Bus and the Walk of Fame, a quarter-mile walking path in Heekin Park.
The Freedom Bus, nicknamed “Miss Bea” after the founder, is a mobile Civil Rights Movement exhibit.
The path, unveiled in 2011, recognizes historical figures in Delaware County’s history known for breaking down barriers, such as the first Black teachers, police officers, and more.
“Miss Bea wanted Dr. [sic] King’s message to continue to prompt peace in our community and to safeguard civil rights. That was the reason that she started the organization,” Barnes Griffin said.
The Freedom Bus, nicknamed “Miss Bea” after the founder, is a mobile Civil Rights Movement exhibit.
February, Black History Month, is an important time for the MLK Dream Team. They start the month with their annual Black History Month Kick Off event before beginning their scholarship program and Black History Month food drive.
“Dr. [sic] King while he’s gone, the impact is still lasting. We want our community to always be in remembrance of that, and we want our community to not just keep his dream alive, but to act his hopes and dreams,” Barnes Griffin said.
For more information on the MLK Dream Team go to their Facebook or their website.
Contact Hannah Amos via email at hannah.amos@bsu.edu or on X @Hannah_Amos_394. Contact Ella Howell with comments at ella.howell@bsu.edu.
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