By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
Over the next week, Americans and others around the world will celebrate the birthday, life and legacy of “the drum major for peace,” the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Born Jan. 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Ga., the Baptist minister represents one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, leading the Civil Rights Movement while using nonviolent resistance in the battle against Jim Crow laws and other forms of discrimination that mostly impacted African Americans.
And while his life was tragically cut short at the hands of an assassin on April 4, 1968, while fighting for the rights of Black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., likeminded leaders quickly picked up the torch.
Following his death, an extensive petition campaign lasting 15 years sought to secure King’s place in American history. Due to unrelenting pressure from figures like King’s wife, Coretta Scott King, union leaders from across the nation and lawmakers like Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich) and several of his colleagues from the Congressional Black Caucus, Congress finally yielded and approved the King Holiday Bill, first introduced by Conyers just four days after King’s murder.
President Ronald Reagan, with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate, signed the bill into law on Nov. 2, 1983, establishing the federal holiday, which was first observed on Jan. 20, 1986.
Later, in 1994, the King Holiday and Service Act, introduced by Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and Sen. Harris Wofford (D-Pa.), was signed by President Bill Clinton, designating the King holiday as a national day of service.
Celebrations abound from Georgia to Maryland to Washington, D.C.
Atlanta, King’s hometown and the city in which he once served as co-pastor with his father, Rev. M.L. King, Sr., at Ebenezer Baptist Church, will once again serve as the focal point for multiple activities which began on Jan. 8 and conclude on Jan. 19 with the Beloved Community Commemorative Service (televised) and the Beloved Community Global Summit.
However, several longstanding events will once again be held in the greater Washington area, including the 43rd annual UNCF Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, and the 21st annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday DC Parade, spearheaded by Denise Rolark Barnes, publisher of The Washington Informer, who once again serves as committee co-chair along with Stuart W. Anderson, who also continues in his role as logistics coordinator.
Tanya R. Sweeney, UNCF area development director for Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Northern Virginia, emphasized the continued importance of the breakfast, co-sponsored by Washington Inter-Alumni Council (WIAC), which will be held at The Hotel at the University of Maryland, College Park, from 9 to 11 a.m. (www.uncf.org)
As in years past, the celebration serves as a fundraiser to support students from the Washington Metropolitan Area and UNCF-member institutions in other cities and states.
“The Black community and all communities can support the educational pursuits of Black and all youth by continuing to support UNCF,” Sweeney said. “Every dollar counts – no matter how small or large. An educated people are an enlightened and empowered people who can make a difference in the society because a mind is still a terrible thing to waste.”
Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF, echoed her sentiments.
“As we come together on this awesome occasion, let us remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who said, ‘The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education,’” Lomax said. “Let us continue the hard work to make the words of Dr. King ring true as we help underrepresented students to fulfill their dreams of a college education and a better future.”
Sweeney further pointed to the participation of youth as being critical in the ongoing fight for equality for all in America.
“Dr. King’s goals concerning economic inequality, voting rights protection, and the eradication of systemic poverty, racism and militarism remain incomplete,” she said. “Black youth and all youth are the best to address these goals because they represent the future leaders in business and government, voters and consumers who will be making decisions about the future course of this country.”
Rolark Barnes pointed to the goals of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday DC Parade, which continue to reflect those first established by her father, Dr. Calvin W. Rolark, founder of The Washington Informer and the United Black Fund; Ward 8 Councilmember Wilhelmina J. Rolark; and Ralph “Petey” Greene, a renowned community activist and radio personality, when it was first conceived in 1977 (the first parade was held in 1979).
“Since the beginning, this annual event has served as an opportunity to commemorate and celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King and to expose as well as engage young people in a day that also focuses on their gifts and talents,” she said. “We also believe this event brings together many organizations that represent Dr. King’s vision of peace in our community.
“Last year, we experimented and held the parade indoors at the CareFirst Sports Arena, believing that it would help to get folks out of the cold. It didn’t work and there was an outcry from the community to take the parade outside. While the route is shorter this year, participants and attendees will have a chance to see the development occurring along the parade route on Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE in Anacostia, from Barry Farm to Marion Barry Avenue.”
The parade begins 11 a.m. at Sumner Road and Firth Sterling Avenue in Southeast D.C. (mlkholidaydc.org). Prior to the parade, the eighth annual King Prayer Breakfast will be held at Covenant Baptist UCC Church in Southwest D.C., 9 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., Jan. 17.
Rolark Barnes said it’s critical that the Black community continue to honor the birthday of King and his contributions.
“We know that we only keep those we love and cherish alive when we speak their names and give them honor,” she said. “Dr. King and those who marched, demonstrated, organized and demanded equal rights alongside him, and died like him, should never be forgotten. He knew what would make America a great country, and he was fearfully determined to dedicate and give his life for the benefit of us all. That should never be taken for granted, nor should his living and sacrifices be in vain.”
Anderson said with attacks on “Blackness” under the current U.S. president, it’s important for African Americans to continue to advance King’s ideals and “address, confront, and stand up against the theft of the American promise.”
“As Dr. King stated during his speech at the March on Washington,” Anderson said, “‘We cannot turn back. We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality, … as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity, … as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote, and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote.’”
“We must confront the rolling back of regulations that have 42 million Americans suffering the loss of their SNAP benefits and 22 million Americans’ health care benefits in jeopardy,” Anderson added. “Presidential priorities have shifted staffing, and funds have been taken away from issues including foreign aid, and diversity, equity and inclusion. These actions are dangerous to public safety and to future generations of Black people.”
