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| Martin Luther King service has powerful message |
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| Opinion - Editorials | |||
| Written by Brian McCauley | |||
| Wednesday, 21 January 2009 08:00 | |||
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It was tough not to get goose bumps sitting in the pews of First Mount Olivet Baptist church in Paola Monday night. A mixture of black, white and many shades in between attended the annual celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. The event is sponsored by the Paola Association for Church Action, which itself is an example of what King preached in his life. Churches of different denominations and people of different colors coming together to help each other. Guest speaker the Rev. Tony Carter Jr. passionately recounted King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, drawing shouts of praise from the congregation. But the night wasn’t entirely focused on King, as much of the emotional evening was spent looking ahead to Tuesday, when Barack Obama was set to give his inauguration speech. The speech had not been given as of press time, but like Carter said, it is one of the most anticipated inauguration speeches in history. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come when it comes to abolishing racial tension, and how far we have to go, as Obama is just the first African-American to sit in the Oval Office. Carter eloquently reminded the attendees Monday that the true test of where racism is at in the country won’t be displayed in Washington D.C., or New York, or California, or any other grand stage. It’s displayed by the actions of those right here in Paola. The intense struggle for racial equality has weakened, but it is not defeated. Civil rights have taken great steps forward, but the goal has not yet been reached. For people like Paola building inspector Bill Trout, who has been the first African-American to hold many positions throughout his career, today’s world is a dream come true, but it is not perfect. Perhaps Obama’s inauguration will mark a turning point in our society. A point where future history books will draw a dividing line to illustrate when Americans truly starting seeing beyond color when they look at each other. Whether or not you agree with his politics, it was difficult to argue with the powerful effect Obama’s coming inauguration had on the worshipers Monday night. True, some sang louder than others. Some shouted praise words with more enthusiasm. Some wore their best suit, while others came in more comfortable attire. Some came with family and friends, while others worshipped alone. But by the end of the service, after all the words had been said and dances performed, every person took the hand of the person beside them and sang one last praise song, “We Shall Overcome.” If the compassion in that church can be sustained, King’s dream still has a chance to come true.
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