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Martin Luther King observance
The occasion was the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday, observed on Monday. Dr. King's actual birthday was January 15, 1929. "Dr. King's vision was to build a beloved community," Grant said. "Dr. King's desire was to do that. He was a praying and a preaching man. He kept talking and kept on walking till he got the job done." The Reverend Grant told his audience, "You can't solve problems by tearing things down. You've got to build them up. There are people in your life who can help you," he said. Grant defined community as a place where people can talk together, exchanging ideas and fellowship. A close knit community is built of people who have a common interest. A common cultural and social heritage, he said.
Grant said a beloved community is a place where you do not want to leave. A place you come to regularly where you feel needed, special, at home. It is a place, he said, where you wish everybody was like this, where respect is given to young and old and hope never changes. A faith community, he said. Grant recounted something of the life of Dr. King, saying he graduated from high school and admitted to Morehouse College in Atlanta at the age of 15. He became an ordained Baptist minister at the age of 19 and soon after earned a Doctorate Degree. Dr. King preached and practiced nonviolent resistance to unjust laws, having visited India to study Mahatmas Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence.
Dr. King was the founder and became first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 1963, he led a huge march on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. Much of Dr. King's work led to the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The next year, he led a march from Selma to Montgomery Alabama, in which some of the marchers were killed although the marchers persisted themselves in nonviolence. In 1967, Alabama was ordered to desegregate all public schools. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. In 1985, his birthday was enacted as a Federal holiday. "We may not be Martin Luther King, but somebody can take his place," Grant said. "It may be somebody from Murphy." Grant said what is required is three things: knowledge of what needs to be done, wisdom of why it needs to be done, recognizing that something is missing, and reaching an understanding. In addition to being a radio announcer in Asheville, the Reverend Louis Grant has been pastor of various churches. He was pastor of Valentine Baptist Church in Murphy from 1972 until 1986. "I love Murphy," he said. "It is a wonderful place." Monday marked the 16th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Breakfast. Ms. Breeze Gibson served as Mistress of Ceremonies. There was special recognition of Senator John Snow, Representative Roger West and Dr. Jeanette Hedrick, Superintendent of Cherokee County schools. Three ladies, Ms. Sierra Scaife, Ms. Alex Hines and Ms. Kierra Allen provided a brief reflection of their visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta, including Ebenezer Baptist Church, where Dr. King once pastored.
The event was sponsored by the Texana Community Development Club whose motto is "working together in unity."
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