MLK dream echoes an eternity
Bernadette Jeffrey addresses the congregation at Mount Rose
Baptist Church in Uniontown on Sunday. Jeffrey was the
keynote
speaker at the church’s service in honor of Martin Luther King,
Jr. Day.
Sister Beatrice Brown (left) welcomes Dr. Bernadette Jeffrey to Mount Rose Baptist Church in Uniontown on Sunday. Dr. Jeffrey was the keynote speaking at the church's service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Dr. Bernadette Jeffrey addresses the congregation at Mount Rose Baptist Church in Uniontown on Sunday. Dr. Jeffrey was the keynote speaking at the church's service in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Sylvia Tarpley told a tale of the time she spent in Greenville, S.C., as she spoke at services honoring Martin Luther King Jr. on Sunday.
“I was told not to go into that bowling alley — you know the reason why,” Tarpley said to a crowd of more than 100 people gathered to celebrate King’s life. “And I was told that if I wanted to eat at that restaurant, I had to go around to the back to pick up the food. I did not eat there. The thing about it was, this was not the 1960s, but 1992.”
Tarpley, a key organizer of the fifth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration, spoke during the service held at Mount Rose Baptist Church, located off Martin Luther King Way in Uniontown.
Tarpley’s story struck a familiar chord with those gathered to honor the man “with a dream,” including Rev. Douglas Wright, who spoke of how King changed America.
“He brought the world’s attention to how unfairly blacks were treated,” Wright said. “He had the help of millions of Americans, but his strong leadership and unprecedented power of speech gave people the faith and courage to keep working peacefully even when others did not. This led to new laws that ended the practice of keeping people of different backgrounds apart, making life fairer for everyone.”
Wright mentioned the landmark decision that not only shaped his life, but a nation’s, by striking down “separate but equal” in favor of school integration: Brown vs. Board of Education.
“Many people did not want change,” Wright said. “It took a strong leader, a person who believed in peace and justice to win more freedom for black Americans.”
The service’s keynote speaker, Bernadette Jeffrey, a noted scholar and evangelist, grew up in Topeka, Kan., in the wake of the Brown decision.
“That decision intersected the life of King by bringing real-time, geopolitics in higher connections, educating not only himself, but a nation and a world,” said Jeffrey, a faculty member at California University of Pennsylvania. “Yes, we have come so far. Yes, an entire movement became an entire catalyst for one of the greatest initiatives ever, social equality and social justice.”
Jeffrey’s speech touched on the power of words and deeds needed to shape the world, as King did.
“What is the capstone of your life?” she asked. “I know that as we continue to live in this world, the most profound challenge that each of us face will not be geopolitical injustice, inequities or even inclusion. What we must confront is the wisdom to discern what matters.”
The King service was not just filled with luminaries extolling the virtues of an American icon or challenging listeners to figure out what matters, but there was music and other tributes to drive home that message.
A particularly powerful moment during the service was when 13-year-old Paris Hooper recited the poem “What if I am a Black Woman.” Hooper received thunderous applause when she finished reciting the poem, written by an unknown author, that testifies to the strength of being a black woman.
“I think everyone very much enjoyed the program,” Tarpley said at the conclusion of the service. “I’m sure the program will change something. Martin Luther King’s dream will resonate on and on.”