The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Perseverance in the face of adversity
Middletown leaders spread hopeful message in time of strife
MIDDLETOWN — The city’s Martin Luther King Day observance Monday, a celebration of the civil rights leader’s life and legacy, was held amid the backdrop of an act by a young man last week that troubled the community.
A number of speakers at the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee of Greater Middletown’s event Monday alluded both directly and indirectly to the Middletown High School student’s waving of a confederate flag on school grounds Friday before the start of classes
So the words of the gospel song “We Shall Overcome,” an anthem of civil rights after King’s death 50 years ago, took on special significance during the two-hour-long program. Remarks began at noon on a bone-numbingly cold day at the corner of Main Street and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way downtown.
“We’re going to appreciate brevity today,” said Quentin Phipps, city treasurer and member of Cross Street AME Zion Church, as about 50 people gathered outside Metro Square, bundled up against mid-20-degree temperatures.
“Too often, we have forgotten how radical this man was,” he said of King, then asked those in attendance to keep in mind the student, whom Phipps said, “is hurting, too.”
“I ask us to remember that, on this frigid day, there are many of us who may not be able to find warmth and shelter. There is a lot of pain in this world, but Dr. King has given us hope that there is a better
“... I hope that we can work together to make the North End and the whole of Middletown a good place to live for everybody.” North End resident Nur Fitzpatrick
tomorrow,” Phipps said, quoting from King’s 1964 book, “Why Can’t We Wait.”
Brief comments were followed by a promenade, led by local and state dignitaries, as community members marched to First Church at 190 Court St.
“There is still much work to be done,” said the Rev. William J. McKissick, pastor of New Jerusalem Christian Center. “This is an appropriate day and an appropriate time for us to come together. People from many ethnicities and backgrounds and cultures celebrate what Dr. King’s hope was and his dream was.
“His legacy lives on,” McKissick said.
He began with a nod to King’s last speech in Memphis, Tenn., April 3, 1968, “I've Been to the Mountaintop.”
“When he was going to leave us, he went to the mountaintop and was given the opportunity to see the unseen, and he was allowed to come and tell us that he may not continue, but that we as a people would get to the promised land.
“That reality and that vision is still in process and in progress,” McKissick said. “And, as the old folk once said, ‘We don’t let nobody or nothing turn us around.’ ”
North End resident Nur Fitzpatrick, accompanied by two girls, spoke to the audience about how King’s legacy had made many things possible over the last half-century.
“These young ladies are the product of biracial families,” she said. “So his dream has come true. But we do have a lot of work to do, and there’s many disparities in this city.
“I hope that what was said is true, and I hope that we can work together to make the North End and the whole of Middletown a good place to live for everybody,” Fitzpatrick said.
The event was also a fundraiser for the scholarship committee and a number of individuals, representing local civic groups, congregations and other organizations, stepped forward to make donations ranging in size from $100 to $1,000.
Middletown High School graduate La Tia Holley, 2006 scholarship recipient, was one of the first in her immediate family to attend college, she said.
“The experience was new and it was exciting, but it also came with its share of anxiety. Not only was I preparing to leave my comfort zone of Middletown, but also the task of paying for college was not as easy as 1, 2, 3.”
The financial gift she received 12 years ago set her on the path to success, said the Temple University graduate, now a substitute teacher at Middletown High School. “This is what this community is all about. It’s about growing and prospering and finding a way to give back.”
Brittany D. Hoggard, president of the scholarship committee of Greater Middletown, spoke directly to students in the audience. Underneath her words was a message that echoed Superintendent of Schools Michael Conner’s optimistic additude Friday in the wake of the flag-waving incident.
“Even though it’s a negative depiction of what people believe, it’s also an opportunity for us as a community to really celebrate and promote equality on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday,” he said.
“What better time than now is there to advocate for yourselves — to advocate for peace, justice and equality in your school,” Hoggard said. “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope,” she said, echoing King.
“When we take look at the happenings in our nation, it is easy to become discouraged, to give up and to lose hope. He built his dream upon a hope that kept him fighting amongst racism, advocating amongst diversity, and prevailing over injustice,” Hoggard said.
“It is with this same hope that we can overcome today’s trying times.”
Members of the Middletown High School Combined Choir performed two selections, “Take Me to the Water” and U2’s “MLK,” during which sophomore Evan Davis gave his rendition of the song’s “haunted and beautiful melodic message.” It elicited a standing ovation. Keynote speaker, the Rev. Donna Hylton, pastor of administration and counseling at Shiloh Christian Church, offered a list of King’s accomplishments. King entered Moorehouse College at 15, and by 25, had earned a degree in sociology, his bachelor’s in divinity, and doctorate at Boston University. His published his first sermon at 17, Hylton said.
“By the time he was 35, he received the Nobel Prize. In 39 short years, this man’s life changed the world.” Those who would like to make a donation or receive a scholarship application may write to the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Committee of Greater Middletown at P.O. Box 282, Middletown CT 06457. For information see the group’s Facebook page. Managing Editor Cassandra Day can be reached at cassandra.day@hearstmediact.com.