When we think about the legacy of the great civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. people should think about how his efforts went towards making this world a better place. King did not only utter words, but he led by his actions. It was in the late 1950’s a young Alabama minister answered the call about an NCAACP secretary who was jailed for not giving up her seat because she was tired from working all day.
In addition, his ministry was based on those principles of faith, hope, and love. He fought for equality for all people by using nonviolent peaceful protest and truly was a drum major for justice.
Every third Monday in the month of January we pause to celebrate the birthday of Dr. King. The King holiday is American national holiday. Dr. King’s birthday was January 15, 1929, and this year we celebrated his birthday on the same day.
The festivities for this rich weekend kicked off with the Martin Luther King Convocation at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), there student, faculty, alumni and friend far and near gathered to celebrate the life of Dr. King.
At the convocation the keynote speaker was Attorney Benjamin Crump, who delivered a powerful speech entitled “What Do You Stand For?”. This powerful speech came shortly after the remarks by President Trump, who made remarks towards people of African or Haitian descent.
In addition, the speech highlighted the great works of Dr. King and how these works impacted us daily. Crump would also urge the audience to pay attention to what is going on in the county and challenged each person to make a difference.
Furthermore not only was there sound information and new ideas into the atmosphere for all to grasp a hold of but Attorney Benjamin Crump, a civil rights attorney mentioned these critical points for people to take away from the speech:
“To honor Dr. King’s dream, we have to say enough is enough,” Crump said. “Now more than ever we need to inspire our people to be both dreamers and doers.”
While the convocation was an excellent start to kickoff the King weekend their were some many other activities and events going on in the Tallahassee area.
Of the many events to attend this group of collegiate students decided to give up their time to make sure those who are not as fortunate as them have a good meal.
In an interview Eugene Moore, Jr. a second year political science student describes his Martin Luther King Day:
“Dr. King had the insight and the foresight not to just be relevant in his time but to transcend in his own time and to make his mark on society for many years to come,” Moore said. “I attended to some work at the Kearney Center and this celebration here at Cascades Park, were people came to pay tribute and it was nice to be around other races, colors, and creeds on this day to celebrate a great man.”
In conclusion, it was great to see people celebrating the works of Dr. King, whether it be in service or reflecting on how far America has comes almost 50 years after his death.
Joshua Lowder 