Locals share thoughts on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Pastor Carl Dorn, Mount Olivet Church, Olivehurst
Q: What’s at the top of your mind when you reflect on the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
A: I can see the impact of his work and speeches more so now than ever before. His message was about loving people the same. It’s easy to love people who look and pray like you. But what about the ones who don’t? His speeches were about what the Bible has been trying to get through to us.
Q: What impresses you the most about his speeches or his stance on human rights?
A: His walk was backed up with his talk. He didn’t just preach nonviolence, he practiced it. That impressed me more than anything.
Q: What can we learn from MLK?
A: There’s so much. Mainly to love everybody. He wanted black, white, yellow, muslims, buddhists and so on to come together. He taught us to be the example. If things are going to get better it starts with us and our own homes.
Richard Snyder, member of Praise Chapel, Yuba City
Q: What’s at the top of your mind when you reflect on the life and times of Dr. Martin
I think back to second grade when my teacher rolled a TV in our classroom and everyone watched the “I have a dream speech.” I could feel at a young age it was a big deal. Everyone was cheering. We gave a standing ovation. It woke me up inside. My classroom was so diverse and it was a result of what he did.
Even as a kid I could feel the power of his words. They had weight. He swayed the room.
Q: What can we learn from MLK?
A: Even though America isn’t perfect, if we stick to our foundations we can progress and move ahead of hatred, bigotry and discrimination.
Steve White, Marysville High School teacher
Q: What’s at the top of your mind when you reflect on the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
A: The first thing that comes to my mind is: What else could he have accomplished if he had not died when he did. I was only 10 years old and I remember my mother was very emotional and she did a lot of crying that week. It wasn’t until I was older and in high school that I learned about what a great man he was.
I thought he was a very brave man for doing what he did during that time in our history, especially in the south.
Q: What impresses you the most about his speeches or his stance on human rights?
A: His speeches and his stances on human rights made a big impact on my life. I was a history major in college so that is when I really started studying him and the things he fought for. His speeches were passionate and they still ring true today. He wanted inclusivity for all races. He fought for equal rights for all Americans and he fought a good fight. I was in Washington, D.C., in 2008, and I was able to stand exactly where he did overlooking the Washington Monument Reflecting Pool when he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. That was pretty cool!
Q: What can we learn from MLK?
A: The five things that make democracy work are: 1: The fundamental worth and dignity of every person. 2: Respect for the equality of all persons. 3: Faith in majority rule and an insistence on minority rights. 4: Acceptance of the necessity of compromise. 5: Insistence upon the widest possible degree of individual freedom.
I believe we have made great strides in accomplishing these goals. We still have a lot of work to do for numbers one and two. I think that maybe we need to work on number four as well.
There does not seem to be very much compromise in Washington, D.C., today. ...It seems to me lately that we are taking steps backwards instead of going forward. If you don’t learn from history then it tends to repeat itself. This is a perfect example of that saying.
Daniel Jones, Marysville
Q: What’s at the top of your mind when you reflect on the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?
A: How he helped the Civil Rights Movement and it makes me feel good he did that.
Q: What impresses you the most about his speeches or his stance on human rights?
A: His take on human rights shows just how strong he was.
Q: What should we focus on?
A: There should be more unity and togetherness. We should learn to be more open with people.