Ice canceled it six weeks ago. But the community Martin Luther King Jr. celebration came back Sunday to a warm reception.
The audience at First Christian Church was small — only about 35 people — but powerful. Claps and calls of “Amen!” broke out repeatedly as the speakers praised God and honored King, whose message of nonviolence energized the civil rights movement in the ’50s and ’60s.
“Too many times, African-American males are hatin’ on each other,” said Eugene Miles, the evening’s master of ceremonies. “Too many times, African-American women are hatin’ on each other. Too many times, Hispanics are hatin’ on each other, because one is from Ecuador and one is from El Salvador.
“Too many times,” he went on, “Dr. King must look back on it and say ‘Why? Why?’ Amen?”
“Amen!” the crowd answered.
This was the seventh community King celebration, and the third to be held at First Christian. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Bob Colerick, was the evening’s main speaker, returning time and again to the theme of “Hold the Thought, Do the Dream.”
King’s life could have been cut short even earlier than it was, Colerick said, recalling how King was stabbed in 1958 by a mentally ill black woman. But he made his life count, Colerick continued, because he was dedicated to God and made it his life’s quest to do God’s will.
“It’s not just the dangers, it’s not just the toils, it’s not just the snares and the struggles that can push us from the path, but the prosperity, the accomplishments, even the victories can cause us to stray from what God wants us to do,” Colerick said. “Hold the thought. Do the dream.”
Colerick mentioned how, whenever he saw an obituary or a grave, his eye was always drawn to the birth and death dates, separated by a dash. Everything worth doing, he said, is in that dash.
How you fill that dash matters, he said. He called on the words of King to explain.
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that,” Colerick quoted. “Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. The chain reaction of evil ... must be broken or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”
Colerick paused a moment.
“Hold the thought,” he said quietly. “Do the dream.”
“Amen,” the gathering echoed.
Each year, organizers of the celebration also give an award for community service, the “Martin Luther King Outstanding Citizen of Emporia.” This year, the award went to former Emporia State University coach Ron Slaymaker. Slaymaker has been involved in several community efforts over the years, including the United Way, the former Christmas in April (now Rebuilding Together) and the 150th birthday celebration for Emporia.
“This award is not about me,” Slaymaker said. “It’s about all the people I’ve been fortunate enough to rub elbows with.”
He remembered several former students and players of his as he spoke, who had gone on to achieve great things and become community leaders. One that he first met in the 1950s, Monroe Fordham, has since earned a doctorate and is now head of black studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo.
“I think he taught me what it was like to be black, about prejudice,” Slaymaker said.
In January, Fordham sent Slaymaker a manuscript about his experiences in Kansas. Just a page and a half into the manuscript, the names were paired together: Monroe Fordham and Ron Slaymaker.
“I almost cried,” Slaymaker said. “Did I have something to do with that? I don’t know. But young people — YOU don’t know.”
“You don’t have to be retired to be of service,” he said. “You know that. But when you’re young, you’re involved in so many things and it’s easy to lose sight. But as Dr. King did, we have to remember the good things, the important things, the people around us.”
Several performances by Emporia High School and ESU students were also part of the program, such as a short essay by Jacob Torres, a poem by Lorene Booth and a duet performance of “Blessed Assurance” by Christopher Williams and Courtney Brooks.
The evening also featured Christian musician Cliff J of Dallas, who rapped and then exhorted the audience to use their gifts and take up the dream God had given without hesitation.
“Whatever dream you have, follow it! Follow it!” he said in a burst of energy. “Remember we are all together. Whether black, white or Mexican, we are the body of Christ. We are one big Jesus!”
Comments
We allow registered users to post comments on this Web site. To learn more about our posting policies please read our User Poster Agreement Policy.
Use the comment form below to begin a discussion about this content.