Among choruses of “Amazing Grace” and “God Bless America” at Unity Park, speakers at Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. rally urged Oktibbeha County residents to become a force of change for the better as a way to honor the late civil rights pioneer.
Almost 200 people braved the cold and wind to participate in the march from the Oktibbeha County Jail to Unity Park, an annual tradition since the 1970s.
Speakers noted that the current atmosphere of strife and injustice mimics an earlier era and provides residents a chance to continue King’s vision by working together, not against one another, to achieve social equality.
“I believe every generation is presented a moment – a moment that defines who we are, what we believe in and what we will do about it. We are at our moment, and we must make our choice together,” said Oktibbeha County NAACP President Chris Taylor. “If not, we will fade into the shadows while the cities that our brothers and sisters call home are under attack from injustices of hate and bigotry. America has made a promise, and we must hold her accountable. We carry the spirit of the great men and women who had the courage to fight to change the world and deliver a better America to their children and grandchildren.”
Willie Thomas, the event’s keynote speaker, said residents can work toward greater equality with a three-step process: regroup, connect and move forward with purpose.
“We know the issues of injustice are happening all around us. When things happen like that, we have to keep Dr. King’s vision of non-violence. When things happen, come together and talk about them in a way that can solve the problem, not add to the problem,” said Thomas, who previously served as the Oktibbeha County NAACP’s first vice president and the state NAACP’s sixth vice president.
“We can all sing together at the same time, we cannot all talk at the same time,” he added. “Stop, look around and listen to the situation. Ask the question: Can you make a difference?”
The first time Mayor Parker Wiseman participated in Starkville’s annual MLK march, he was in high school. Now, nearly 20 years later, he said he can see how much the community has grown.
“Without a doubt, we are a more loving place, we are a more tolerant place and we are a kinder place than we were the very first day I marched.
“What’s exciting to me is I know we’re still growing as a community. The only way we continue to do that is by experiencing each other and loving each other.”
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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