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Newark Public Library holds a Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute

Even today; the mention of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.’s name elicits many emotions in American citizenry; for some, sadness mixed with joy, pride, and remembrance of a seminal period of race relations in our country; for others, an opportunity to finally speak out, in force, against the injustices many of them had witnessed being perpetrated on innocent men women and children; still, for others, the name conjures up feelings of uneasiness, fear, resentment, anger, and sometimes, downright hatred; and, of course, there are those who equate Doctor King’s name and memory with the destruction of American democracy, at least ; their definition of American democracy.

However; for a moment, let’s forget the historical significance of Dr. King; let’s set aside his status as a social justice paragon; let’s discount those who would describe him as a modern day Moses; lets disregard the notion he was one of the most persuasive and prolific speakers of the 20th Century; let’s ignore he put himself, front and center, in a fight he could easily have avoided; finally, let’s remove his race from the equation. I know; I know, my argument has just lost all credibility; because persons who lose their minds usually lose credibility as well; but ride this horse with me for a few more words while I explain. Though in the overall scheme of things it is hard to separate an iconic ethic symbol from their ethnicity; however, once we peel away the 2 square meters of troublesome, but necessary, skin that covers us all, we cease to see everything through that internal filter through which we invariably view the world. Once that filter is removed, or, at least, disengaged, we can sing along to the 70’s Johnny Nash hit “I can see clearly now”. For then and only then, can we see those important traits; those endearing qualities; those defining characteristics of the person in question that really matter. That is when you can clearly see a person’s ideology, talent, drive, passion, morality, character, and humanity in its true light.

Doctor King, to some degree, deserves all of the above listed accolades; but I want to look at him as a man; not as a perfect man, not as a flawless man; but, as a man, as an American Citizen; as the epitome of what type of man America is, and always has been capable of producing. Not only was Dr. King a product of the American dream; he was the embodiment of the American dream. Below is a short summary of his accomplishments; and let me remind you he achieved all of this in 39 short years:

· King was born in 1939

· At Age 13 he became the youngest assistant manager of a newspaper delivery station for the Atlanta Journal

· At Age 15 he passed an entrance exam for Morehouse College

· Graduated Booker T. Washington High School at 16

· 1948 Graduated Morehouse College with a degree in Sociology

· Elected student body president of Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania

· 1951 Graduated Crozer Theological Seminary

· 1954 Became Pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama

· 1955 Received his Ph.D. systematic theology, Boston University

· 1955 Led the Montgomery Bus Boycott

· 1957 Co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

· 1958 Authored Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story; a memoir of the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott.

· 1958 Narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at a book signing.

· 1963 Gave his now famous “I have a dream” speech, one of the most memorable of the 20^th century, to a quarter of a million attendees of the march and untold millions via television while standing before the Lincoln Memorial.

· 1964 Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize

· 1965 Organized marches that proved instrumental in the passage of Voting Rights Act.

· 1967 He began to speak out against the Vietnam War

· April 4 1968 King was assassinated

The point is; Dr. King, his life, death and accomplishments are NOT a black American story; his, is an American story. The American Dream is based on the construct that every American can possibly achieve success; not only was his life the consummation, of the American dream; his life is every American’s dream; to see and live life, seize the moment, pursue your dream, maximize your potential, evolve and grow as a person, find a purpose in life, and perhaps most important, make a difference in your world.

I attended a MLK tribute a few weeks ago at the Newark Public Library. It was fabulous. Among those on stage was Jerome C. Harris Jr. Interim CEO of New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, who acted as Master of Ceremonies; an absolutely fantastic group of singers, The Special Ensemble Youth Choir; they were simply amazing, who said there are no good kids out there? There was a wonderful poet, named Jaleesa McEachin. Lastly, there was the keynote speaker; author, philanthropist, Kevin Powell, who alternately entertained, informed, cajoled, inspired and challenged those in attendance. His presentation was followed by a question /answer segment and book signing by the author. Of course I was there; camera in hand making a nuisance of myself as usual; but, hey; that’s what I do.