martin luther king jr

Morristown remembers Martin Luther King Jr. at noon, at the Calvary Baptist Church

Today, we will again experience what has become an American tradition, 25th observance of our national holiday honoring the Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

Even though this celebration has become ingrained in the nation’s consciousness, the Morristown community has been far ahead of the rest of the country in recognizing the valuable contributions and legacy of one who many feel is a 20th-century prophet.

This year will mark the FORTIETH Anniversary of the Martin Luther King Observance Committee’s annual celebration.

We salute the vision and persistence of Dr. Felecia Jamison, the late Sister Rachel Jones, and others who saw the need to preserve the memory and legacy of this great champion of social justice.

Out of the despair and frustration of that dark day when Dr. King was assassinated, out of the pit of bigotry and racial turmoil that imprisoned the American spirit, out of the clinging fog of strife and tension that enshrouded the American ideals of opportunity and liberty of all, these valiant souls raised their voices in unison with him to demand justice for the beloved community.

By publicly commemorating the work and life of Dr. King, their call mission was to plant the seeds of hope in our consciousness -- that someday the tide would turn in America and the world towards universal love and justice.

In our changing world, events should remind us that we are far from attaining our goal of a stable world at peace, with opportunity for all.

With the rise of global terrorism, the damaging impact of global warming, the steady increase of sectarian violence, the jolting dislocation of economies across the world, and the accelerating rate of population diversity in every sphere of human activity, intolerance and prejudice are perennially showing their ugly heads in world affairs.

With the rise in tensions and intensification of hatred between tribal, national, and regional factions, today is a time that we need to embrace the moral imperatives of the civil rights movement to reconcile the differences that continue to divide us.

We can congratulate each other on the country coming together to elect our first black President, but the promised land, though it is within sight, it is not yet under our feet.

There a plethora of challenges that remain for us to confront. More than ever there is a need to refresh ourselves with the lessons learned over the last few decades and to dedicate ourselves anew to the principles espoused by Dr. King: compassion, love for peace, commitment to reconciliation, and belief in the dignity and worth of all people.

We thank God that Dr. Jamison and the other members of the Observance Committee have reminded us incessantly over the last 40 years that we all have a responsibility to keep pursing Dr. King’s dream of freedom, equality and justice for all.