COMMUNITY HONORS MARTIN LUTHER KING JR’S LEGACY
On Monday, people held signs as they gathered outside Eagles Hall in Fort Bragg, waiting for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day march to begin. Conversations ranged from the day’s planned events, the Women’s March ( held a couple of days previous), 5G wifi, environmental issues and politics.
Meanwhile, inside Eagles Hall, the California Conservation Corps was busy setting up end-to- end dining tables for those returning from the march, and others interested in celebrating Dr. King’s legacy. On each table were placed a list of questions to encourage discussions on topics Dr. King spoke, such as: “What solutions to poverty do you think we should work towards as a community? What changes can you make in your daily life to be anti-racist?”
A table was set up for children to color MLK-themed pages, and other tables provided information on local organizations, such as the Latino Coalition of the Mendocino Coast and Project Sanctuary. Attendees were also encouraged to register to vote.
“It’s the First Amendment,” said Nancy Milano, “and there are some new laws in California this year to make it easier. You are now able to register and vote on Election Day, which is amazing. It will be one of the last things counted, but at least it will be counted. If people are denied voting, something should be done about it,”
As people began entering the hall, they helped themselves to coffee or tea, and slices of bread and butter on the tables.
Entertainment was provided by the Fort Bragg Freedom Singers and Hailie Kaio. One of the
speakers was Branch Wesley, who was motivated to speak in front of an audience for the first time.
“Being a person of color in this town,” said Wesley, “seeing the way things are, and the issues with racism which, unless you’re of color, most folks don’t even notice, of course. But, I’ve been here about 13 years, and I’ve dealt with it the entire time. My issue with this Martin Luther King celebration is that it didn’t seem to be addressing the things that Martin Luther King was actually working on. It was basically a celebration of the man, the time he was alive, and what happened when he was alive, and reiterating the dream that we all know of from the most popular speech he ever gave.
“It wasn’t about the dream to begin with,” continued Wesley, “but that became the thing that everybody focused on, instead of the work to make the dream a reality. So, I felt that that point of view needed to be represented here, and had not been from what I have seen. So, I made a decision to stand up and say a few words that I thought were important for people to hear.”
Attendees were then encouraged to fill plates from a buffet of locally produced goodies of beans, rice, soup, bread, salad, and baked desserts.
Katie Rogers, accompanied by her three children, ages 15, 11, and 3, succinctly summed up Martin Luther King’s message. “It’s important to raise our children knowing that love is really all you need,” said Rogers. “One of my favorite quotes of his is, ‘ We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.’”