Local citizens along with city and civic leaders gathered to celebrate the legacy of freedom and to remember the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza in Brownwood. The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. parade kicked off the event at 10:00 a.m. at the Bennie Houston Community Center and ended at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza at the intersection of W. Austin and W. Commerce in Brownwood. The event was organized by Revitalizing Our Community (ROC).
King, a great leader pushed for nonviolent activism in the fight for freedom in the 1960s, and the dream of the end of racism in the United States and across the world. That dream was celebrated in Brownwood with a parade and ceremony. Although it was cold, the message was warm, that all people everywhere have a right to freedom and that every man should join the fight to protect freedom.
Pastor Charles Lowe gave the tribute message speaking on King’s speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.”
Summarizing the speech, Lowe told of the close call King had while at a book signing at a Harlem bookstore in 1958, where he was stabbed and came close to death and how that shaped King’s outlook. Through this experience and close call, he felt as though he had been to the mountaintop with Christ, he came back and desired to just do God’s will.
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy,” wrote King in his book Strength to Love.
Lowe encouraged citizens and leaders of Brownwood to be an example to other cities in the fight for equality and freedom stating, “Without you there’s no hope, without you, there’s no vision.”
Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes compared the Apostle Paul’s message in Galatians 5:1 to that of the people in the United States during the Equal Rights Movement.
“Paul saw the Galations not living up to the freedoms Christ had given them, they were voluntarily enslaving themselves to the old law. So Paul looked around and said ‘this isn’t right, Christ set you free from the old law as free men,’” said Haynes. “I believe Dr. King looked around in his own generation and saw some of the same kind of attitudes, that since the 13th Amendment was passed in the late 1800s that black men were free, but our country was not living as though they were free, so he fought to have people of all races, of all creeds stand up and live under the freedom that was given to them under the 13th Amendment and to live as a free people. That calling is still important today, in every aspect of our lives.”
Haynes spoke of his economics professor at college, Dr. Don Jackson, who stated, “The number one thing that we have to do in the United States is to fight for freedom. Because a free economy is a better economy and a free country is a better country.
“In every regulation and every social thing we come across, we should fight for our freedom, because a free people is a better people,” said Haynes. “We need to live life with that set of eyes and in all of our social aspects…in our church, in our relationships, in our neighborhoods, and certainly in our government. In all aspects of our world, we need to continue to fight to live as a free people. Make no mistake about it freedom is under attack in our world, at every level, and if we won’t fight for it, no one will.”
City Councilman Draco Miller, also a member of ROC, gave the closing remarks and thanked everyone for coming on such a cold morning and standing for justice.
“This is not a black thing, it is about people. We cannot attach color to freedom, we cannot attach color to justice, or liberty and equality. Look around you today, we are living the dream. The dream of Dr. Martin Luther King for all people to be united together – black, white, brown, it does not matter,” said Miller. “Search your heart today, tell your fellow man that you love him and that you will stand by him in the time of need. Our world is in trouble. There is a lot going on. We need to stand in unity with each other. In Brownwood, Texas, we will take that torch and we will lead with that torch, and lead in unity. I hope and pray that we continue to move forward in 2016 and try to eliminate racism, defeat it. It can and it will be done.”
Special music was also performed by the cast of the Brownwood High School Musical “Hairspray,” the Brownwood High School Marching Band, Walter Barnes, Haddi Anderson and Gene Galloway. Pastors Kenneth Colegrove, Fernando Fernandez and Reverend Eddy R. Hays. Jodie Miller served as the master of ceremony and a welcome was given by ROC president Marisha Stidom.
Pictured above, members of ROC (Revitalizing Our Community) carried the banner as citizens marched in the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. For a photo gallery of the parade and ceremony, visit Brownwood News’ Facebook page. See a video of the parade below.
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