King’s legacy continues to inspire

Community celebrates 20th anniversary event with call for justice

KENNETT SQUARE » People united in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. around the world Monday.

A national holiday in America to mark the civil rights leader’s birthday, the Martin Luther King CommUNITY of the Greater Kennett Area held a two-day celebration.

The two-day conference, To Seek Justice, began Sunday. Speakers focused on a path forward in this world from grievances with justice at the helm. Held virtually for the first time via Hopin, the 20th anniversary of the MLKCommUNITY Breakfast featured topics from race to education.

Christina Edmondson delivered the keynote address, “To Seek Justice” and participated in a live question-and-answer session with attendees afterward. She said racism has to be consistently resisted.

She identified herself as a Christian anti-racist.

“We do justice. That means that it’s not present within our status quo. Maybe it’s lost. Maybe it’s exclusive. Maybe justice has been restricted or distorted. Guarded or denied. Therefore it must be sought, from one generation to the next.”

She is an anti-racism educator. She said social advocates call out what may not be obvious to create change. She spoke of the wisdom and action needed for a cross-generational movement to dismantle systematic racism in society.

Edmondson is the dean of Intercultural Student Development at Calvin University. She cited the Old Scripture of the Bible with the words of Micah, who preached against corruption among the powerful.

“Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand. And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage,” the Book of Micah said.

Edmondson said Micah also spoke of hope.

This includes the hope of the vulnerable, persecuted and disenfranchised — those who are denied access to freedom — by force.

“The powerful messages shared throughout this event were like no other,” said Shania Jones, a graduating senior at Lincoln University in Lower Oxford Township near the Maryland border. Her focus in studies at the historic African-American college is criminal justice, anthropology and pre-law. She is from Brooklyn, New York and a member of Lincoln’s Thurgood Marshall Law Society Parliamentarian.

“I was personally stimulated by listening to others’ views on injustice and ways we can make a change in our communities as well as our country,” Jones said. “I believe the key actions needed to overcome injustice is to keep ourselves informed, learn our rights, and peacefully execute to get our voices heard.

Additional speakers included Joan Mulholland, a social justice and civil rights advocate, and her son, filmmaker Loki Mulholland.

“The story of Joan Trumpauer Mulholland is the part that resonated with me the most,” said Jones, the Lincoln University senior from Brooklyn. “For her to be the first white woman to integrate an HBCU and join a distinguished Black sorority is awe-inspiring.”

Jones continued, “I’ve learned that no matter what odds are against you, when your mind is set on accomplishing something, nothing can stop you. Perseverance is what kept her going, despite the hardships she has faced.”

The criminal justice major added, “Joan is an inspiration to me and many people around the world.”

Paul Redman, president and chief executive officer for Longwood Gardens, an event sponsor, also spoke of the importance of philanthropy to support education especially for disenfranchised youth.

Longwood Gardens offered free administration on Monday to people who attended the virtual conference. The mission of the Martin Luther King, Jr., CommUNITY is to revitalize the community Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of peace and harmony among all people. Advocates of the nonprofit are committed to building and promoting relationships based on equality, justice and peace, conduct community awareness forums for cross-racial, cross-cultural dialogues and interactions, intervening where necessary to resolve conflict and ensure that the voices of the excluded and marginalized are heard.

Proceeds of the breakfast support scholarships given to graduating seniors at Kennett, Unionville and Avon Grove high schools and students at Lincoln University. The annual event also benefits summer opportunities for disadvantaged children at Camp Cadet, MLK Advocates Forums, equality, justice, peace projects, and the eradication of poverty in the Kennett Square region.

“I am inspired most by the consistent commitment to the mission and vision of MLK CommUNITY’s work here in our region,” said Leah Reynolds, Kennett Area Community Service (KACS) which runs the Kennett Food Cupboard at 136 W. Cedar St. “For these past 20 years supporting education as a means to seek justice and equality has been a priority.”

Reynolds said, “Young King critically challenged both Black and white pursuits of power and success by means of education. He compelled all ‘to reimagine what learning environments could do for a person. Knowledge alone was not enough; integrity and compassion should be integral parts of holistic learning. We are to be people who are well-read, critical thinkers who value others and seek their well-being.’”

And action to create change and walk with justice is a lesson to remember every day, not just on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the beginning of each new year.

The legacy of creating change for justice inspired eight women to walk 116-miles in a pilgrimage along the historic Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway this past September.

The lady walkers hailed from different states and ended their journey in Kennett Square after crossing the Mason-Dixon Line.

Monday, the conference featured song, prayer and a call, in the words of keynote speaker Edmondson, for people to live their lives in which convictions are matched with actions for “shared humanity.”