LUMBERTON — Words, songs and a march were among the ways Robeson County residents celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, a holiday set aside to honor the slain civil rights leader that this year was on his birth date.
Inspirational words and music marked a service in the sanctuary of Sandy Grove Baptist Church in Lumberton. The event included eight speaking parts, a keynote address from Greensboro minister the Rev. Dr. Johnny Freeman, and attracted an array of elected officials and candidates for local offices. The service lasted more than two hours.
“Dr. King spoke of the ‘arc of the universe bending towards justice,’” Freeman said. “That’s when God shows up.
“It’s time for us to get together and do something about the troubles of our time. When we do, that’s when God shows up.”
The civil rights movement began in the black church, Freeman said. And the black church continues to be uniquely positioned to continue to be “the best vehicle for change that we have in any city, state and in this union,” he said.
Freeman, the pastor of United Institutional Baptist Church, said some describe the 21st century as a “post-church” era.
“Sometimes the church can be too inwardly directed,” he said. “There is so much fighting in the church that we have forgotten about the message and the mission.”
Freeman offered a lesson from the Bible’s book of Matthew of the four nameless, selfless men who brought a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed. He contrasted their “community action” with the modern habit of “waiting for Superman” to save the day.
“We can’t wait for him,” Freeman said. “Go where they are and get them. We’ve got to bring about a change in our generation. It needs to be about them, not us.
President Donald Trump’s recent controversial remark, that has been widely condemned as racist, received only a brief comment.
“Anybody who cannot apologize for the mess that comes out of his mouth … is not my president,” Freeman said. “I’m sure there were those who felt that way about President Obama, but civility marked the office during his time.
“It’s time to say enough is enough.”
Lumberton Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem John Cantey delivered a city proclamation declaring a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service during the service.
The event was sponsored by the Robeson County Black Caucus and its president, Jimmy Gilchrist, was master of ceremonies. He gave a service award to Sara McLean, manager of the Baptist Homes, which was closed for nearly a year after flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew.
“Sarah stood with the displaced residents, so they were able to come back,” Gilchrist said. “Her concern was for others.”
Other speakers included Dr. Thurman Everett, moderator of the Lumber River Baptist Association; Lisa Troy, principal of Robeson Early College; the Rev. T. Shedrick Byrd, Sandy Grove’s pastor; the Rev. Alfred Dudley; the Rev. Jerome Billups, pastor of the Greenville Baptist Church; and the Rev. James Emanual, of After God’s Own Heart Ministries.
In Rowland about 40 people sang “We Shall Overcome” as they walked in freezing temperatures to commemorate the many marches in which King participated during his peaceful campaign for equal rights. The one-mile march started at Dollar General on North Bond Street and ended at the Southside School Alumni Headquarters on Martin Luther King Jr. Street, where a luncheon was served.
Linda Buie said this was her second year participating in the march and she enjoyed the “togetherness” of it.
“We came a long way and we got a long way to go, but I thank God for where we are today,” she said.
Eddie Franklin, a Rowland native and member of the Rowland Planning Board, said he had left the town for three years but he came back from living in Washington, D.C., to make a difference.
“I think it’s a good thing for us be out here because Martin Luther King paved the way for us, and I remember the things he went through and I remember the things that I went through when I was growing up,” Franklin said. “I think he did a marvelous job of where we are today.”
Rowland Mayor Michelle Shooter also participated in the parade. Her children led the march by holding a sign that read “Happy birthday Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
“I think it’s an important event to attend. I think we have to remember the legacy of Dr. King and what he taught us. I think he’s done an amazing job at being a beacon of hope light and compassion,” Shooter said. “Today is just another step in coming together and moving forward.”
After the walk, Shooter addressed town residents in front of the alumni building across from Southside-Ashpole Elementary School.
“We are at a pivotal spot here in the history of Rowland, and we are all pivotal players,” Shooter said.
During the luncheon the Rev. J.W. Young, of St. James Missionary Baptist Church, spoke about the community coming together.
“This is just another way to unify the community,” Young said about the march.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
A baptist preacher, King was known for his oratory skills and for leading non-violent protests in the name of equal and civil rights. He is perhaps best known for his `19-minute “I have a dream” speech that was delivered at the Washington Monument on Aug. 28, 1963.
It reads in part as follows:
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
“I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
“I have a dream today.
“I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
“I have a dream today.”
