The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘HEARTS OF MEN’
Social justice the focus of city’s Martin Luther King Jr. celebration
MIDDLETOWN >> Inspired by the “love of God in the hearts of men,” several hundred people heard inspirational messages of faith, hope and social justice Monday during the 24th annual Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration.
Organized by the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee of Greater Middletown, the event honors the legacy of King while raising funds and awareness for the scholarship committee’s higher education incentives for local high school graduates.
It’s our duty to fulfill the legacy of MLK, to overcome fear and hatred in our quest for social justice, said keynote speaker Edward Ford, a 2015 graduate of Middletown High School. A house divided against itself cannot stand, he added.
Trey James, the 2008 scholarship winner, also offered remarks during the hour-long event. Today, much more than just speeches are required
to ensure social justice in America, James said.
Addressing a packed South Congregational Church midday, including local officials, Mayor Dan Drew, state Rep. Matt Lesser and other community leaders, James offered encouragement in the face of ongoing struggles. Opening remarks from Felicia Goodwine-Vaughters, MLK Scholarship Committee, preceeded an invocation by the Rev. Thea Leticia Racelis, followed by remarks by Drew, Faith Jackson, Minister Deborah Hopkins and others.
A dance performance choreographed by young men from the Ministry of Dance at Zion First Baptist Church entertained, along with passionate singing of Minister Anne B. Hart, of New Jerusalem Christian Center.
If African-American men continue to face negative impacts of government policies, including mandatory minimums, No Child Left Behind, Stop and Frisk, the three-strike rule, or the war on drugs, then men “will become the caged birds that sing,” said James. “We will sing for more than freedom or acknowledgment.”
It’s time to “end the dissonance between passivity and your indifference to what is happening in society,” said James. “Many men in our community feel worthless. You won’t get it from staring at the surface of the man because we are intricate, woven together by God’s hands just like you.”
Prior to the event at the church, a short program was held at Martin Luther King Jr. Way, with a greeting from Drew and prayer offered by the Revs. Parrish Holloman of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and Candace Taylor of Agape Fellowship Ministries in East Hartford.
Asking, “What do you do for others?” Ford, a Board of Education candidate in the fall, considered the legacy of MLK and the challenges faced by people of marginalized communities.
“The struggles we have come from created the fabric of our nation,” said Ford. “The Civil Rights Act enacted a victory for social justice.”
Even with victories past, “our black president was made to feel less than significant,” James added.
The walls of injustice can be broken down, “brick by brick, by the diligent and the just,” Ford said. “Our dreams are not later, they are now.”
The MLK Scholarship Committee provides financial assistance to high school seniors from Greater Middletown pursuing a post-secondary education.
The scholarship is based on financial need, academic achievement, community involvement and an essay expressing the student’s appreciation for the goals and accomplishments of King.