A crowd of around 400 citizens from Brownwood and the surrounding area came together Monday to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and to remember the inspiration of his life and accomplishments for people of all races, ages, and socioeconomic levels.
The event started with a march and parade from the Bennie Houston Recreational Center to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Plaza at the corner of W. Austin and W. Commerce where a ceremony was held with words of encouragement for citizens to live the dream of King, to discover unity and equality and to never give up on dreams.
King said in his famous I Have a Dream Speech, “I dream of a day when my four young children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Several speakers at the event pointed out that he fought for equality for all, not just the black community and for this reason all citizens are beneficiaries of King’s work and legacy.
Marisha Stidom, President of Revitalizing Our Community (ROC), the organization that hosted the event, welcomed the crowd and thanked them for gathering on this special day.
Major Robert Spratt brought the tribute message reminding all in attendance of the work accomplished through Dr. King’s efforts and of the work that is yet to be done in the world for all people to see equality.
“Communities have to come together and think of people, not the things they have, and find out how you can help your brother and the people at large,” said Spratt. “The people here seem to have cohesion, they seem to have a want and a passion to help each other.” He spoke of Brownwood’s potential to lead not only locally but on a state level carrying on the legacy of Dr. King.
Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes spoke of Dr. King’s legacy and how the event remembered the cause for which he fought.
“When you look back at history, in the past 50 years, there is no person who has had a more influential legacy than Dr. King. There is no question that he changed the landscape of America, not just because of the cause for which he fought but in the manner in which he did it–with respect, with dignity for all people,” said Haynes. “Some people have said in recent days that there is a lot of progress to be made and that is true, but I also want to encourage you to say that a lot of progress has been made.”
Mayor Haynes explained that in the past, the concept that a black man could be elected President of the United States was not fathomable, but today is a reality. Unfortunately years ago, there was also a day when the thought that anything would be named after Dr. King in the city of Brownwood was unfathomable, but today it is a reality. For the last several years, the City of Brownwood has chosen to close its offices to honor Dr. King and decades ago, this too would have been unfathomable, but today it has also become a reality.
“We need more people like Dr. King. We need more people that know how to influence the political process in a way that is respectful of all people,” said Haynes. “The language of hate will never prevail, but intelligence speech shall always win when we discuss the issues and the topics of our day in a civil manner. To me that is Dr. King’s legacy. Thank you all for honoring a great man in American history.”
ROC Vice President Shannon Vargas also spoke of encouraging others to reach their dreams no matter what the color of one’s skin. She spoke of Dr. King receiving a C in school for public speaking and how he went on to win the Nobel Prize.
“I want to remind everybody that we need to come together, not just on this day, but on all days here in Brownwood, Texas,” said Vargas. “We need to put our minds together and our skills together to move this community forward.”
Many local leaders attended the event. City Councilman Draco Miller offered words of encouragement for the community to continue to build unity by continuing to work together to build a better future. He also thanked his fellow councilmen and other city leaders including Mayor Haynes and City Manager Bobby Rountree for working to establish the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Plaza.
Miller spoke of a friend, a postman named Smiley, who made a wise statement he had to share with the crowd, “We have the dream; we need to take the vision and the transgressions and move it forward.”
Miller stated that he was pleased at the turnout at the parade and ceremony.
“It’s truly a blessing that within a year (of the first MLK ceremony at the plaza), that word would get out and so many would gather together,” said Miller. “This is a sign showing that the love of Brownwood is continuously growing. I thank the community and all the people for coming out in support of this event.”
After Dr. King’s assassination on April 4, 1968, an effort began to establish a national holiday in King’s honor, so that his work and accomplishments would be remembered for years to come. This holiday, Martin Luther King Day, was later signed into federal law in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.
Please see video and photo gallery of the event below.
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