Borrowing a passage from the book of Ecclesiastes, Philadelphia, Miss. Mayor James Young said there is a time and a season for everything, including a time and season for the city of Columbus to move forward and fulfill the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“Now is the time and season for us as a people to move forward, and become more unified,” Young said in remarks he made at Monday”s Dream 365 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Breakfast at the James Trotter Convention Center.
The event culminated four days of celebrating the life and legacy of the famed civil rights leader. Friday would have been his 81st birthday; Monday was the MLK Day holiday.
Young, the first black mayor of Philadelphia — elected in June 2009 — was keynote speaker for the event.
Throughout his eloquent message, which drew cheers and applause throughout, Young spoke of many things, including the importance of letting God provide guidance to people, allowing Him to give direction to help them meet and exceed their expectations in life.
“If you let God guide you, your expectations can soar. That is what I have done, and you see the example,” Young said, noting it is time for the citizens of Columbus and other communities in Mississippi and the United States to take initiative to move forward, and not be buried in the past.
“If we do not grab the opportunity to move forward, it is no one”s fault but their own,” Young said.
Philadelphia is known as the town where in the summer of 1964, the bodies of three civil rights workers were found in an earthen dam.
“I was 9 years old when that happened, and we prayed a lot. We had the faith and belief God would get us through this. All we had was faith and a song to sing. I am working to change the image of Philadelphia. I am a part of the new South,” he said.
In light of commemorating King”s birthday, people need to continue to remember King”s dream of equality among people, Young said, adding that people should be remembered for their character, not the color of their skin.
“We need to put the dream into action every day, not just today. We do not need to just talk about it, we need to do it,” he said.
Following Young”s speech, the Oasis of Freedom and Justice Award was presented to numerous honorees, including Young.
The first recipient of the award was Taylor Smith, who operates Loaves and Fishes, Lowndes County”s Community Soup Kitchen.
“We thank everybody for their help in making this ministry work. We intend to grow this ministry,” he said.
Bishop Bobby McCarter of Charity Mission Baptist Church Fairview Full Gospel Baptist Church, Brandy Jackson of Urban Radio Communications, the parent company of WACR-FM and WAJV-FM and Rick McGill and Hilbert Williams of Crye-Leike Properties Unlimited were the other recipients.
Unsung Hero awards went to Annie Barry, Vanessa Carter, Rose Mary Cockrell, John Dickerson, Lisa Elmore, Dennis Erby, Harry Ford, Majorie Fuller, Helen Karriem, Rebecca Partain and Becky Thomas. Recognition also was given to students in grades kindergarten through 12 for creative arts and essay writing.
Allen Baswell was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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