The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
BLESSING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
Pastor: King would find concerns, dreams in 2020 struggle for rights
In 2020, the time is now for local civil rights activists to pick up the baton and continue the fight of giants such as Martin Luther King Jr.
A list of concerns and words of encouragement were part of the keynote address Jan. 19 at the Lorain Branch of the NAACP Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Celebratory Program.
It was held at Mount Zion Baptist Church, 1516 E. 30th St., South Lorain, where Pastor RaShaun M. Washington and others praised God and offered their views on the struggle for human rights over the last half century.
The theme was “Dream … Believe … Do!”
“As if he were living in this 21st century, I believe he would talk pretty much along the lines about where we are today,” Washington told a group of about 40 people who attended.
“We’re in a position now in this 21st century to discuss and determine, we as a people need to determine what matters most,” he said.
“Some say black lives matter, but black lives have always mattered then and they still matter today,” Washington said.
"I stand before you today knowing that we can change things, knowing that we can put our foot down and take a stand for what is right." — The Rev. RaShaun M. Washington
“We’re in a position now that we need to stand up as a people and stop allowing ourselves to become doormats to people who think that they are privileged because of their skin color. I stand before you today knowing that we can change things, knowing that we can put our foot down and take a stand for what is right.”
The African-American community is struggling with drugs and depression and being unsure about who they are, Washington
said.
There are problems at the national level, Washington said, and young black men are afraid of being gunned down by police.
Americans who serve their country in the armed forces don’t receive proper care afterward, churches are not connecting with young people and schools are struggling, he said.
In her opening, Dr. Shirley A. Howard, a life member of the Lorain Branch of NAACP, read the poem “Dream, Believe, Do,” and Washington expanded on that theme in his speech.
People need dreams and need to take action to pursue them, Washington said.
As a pastor with four generations at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Washington said he encourages people of all ages to write a book, start a business or create a plan for success.
“Where do we go from here? It’s time out from struggling from day to day. Just because someone else may be a little smarter than you, you’ve got the same wherewithal to go get what they’ve got.”
Washington encouraged those attending to spend time with their children and grandchildren, commit to families and maintain their reverence for their churches.
Washington’s wife,
Chelese, offered the invocation. Their daughter, Eboni, 16, also was in the audience.
Bessie Eva Nelson welcomed the group, thanking Lorain NAACP President E. Jean Wrice for her work with that organization. She led a series of thanks and greetings starting with God, Washington and his family, and the citizens working for civil rights.
Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley described the actions of Rep. John Lewis, a civil rights legend who now is the last living speaker from the 1963 March on Washington, the event that culminated in King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Lewis was arrested, jailed and beaten for his efforts, Bradley said.
“Lewis’ philosophy was simple: When you see something that is not right, not fair, not just, you have to stand up, you have to say something, but you also have to do something,”
Bradley said.
Lewis’ mother warned him to stay out of trouble. But King taught him there is good trouble, necessary trouble, and even today
Lewis tells people, we need to get in good trouble, Bradley said.
The Mount Zion Baptist Church Choir offered a spiritual song for the group.