Modesto honors Martin Luther King Jr. at annual ceremony

For Angela Drew, a day honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is a time to reach out to people from all walks of life, to come together and learn from one another.

“Keeping that alive is the only way we’re going to get ahead,” she said.

Drew was one person on a long list of participants Monday at the 29th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Ceremony at Christian Love Baptist Church in west Modesto. At the event, she recited one of her poems, “Birth(ed) Right,” which she felt was an appropriate piece on children and the world into which they’re born.

She said the national holiday to honor the slain civil rights leader also should be a time to teach children his inspirational message of peace and equality.

“You have to know where you’ve been to know where you’re going,” Drew said.

A few hundred people gathered inside the west Modesto church for Monday’s event – parishioners, fellow community members, local government leaders and law enforcement officials. All were welcomed to the ceremony, filled with dance performances, poetry and plenty of gospel music that had the audience stomping its feet and clapping to the beat.

There also was a soft, introspective acoustic guitar rendition of “Amazing Grace” from Emma Withrow, daughter of Terry Withrow, chairman of the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors. She followed that up with “Blackbird,” a song about the struggle for civil rights written by Paul McCartney and originally performed by The Beatles.

Ten-year-old Jakai Nichols took center stage at the event, reciting King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Despite a nagging cough that tripped him up a few times, the child gave the speech in a booming voice.

Bishop David McNeir offered his soulful organ-playing skills at the event. He said he grew up during the civil rights era, a witness to some of the bigotry that kept people apart. While there is much more to strive for, he said, we should take the day to recognize all the progress that has been made in the past few decades.

“In my lifetime, we’ve made it,” McNeir said. “I’m thankful for the evolution that Dr. King started.”

Frank Johnson, president of the Modesto-Stanislaus branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, took a moment to speak about the importance of civic engagement. He asked the audience to attend city council meetings and county board of supervisors meetings to make their voices heard.

Instead of calling them public leaders, Johnson said, we should call them public servants. “You can’t lead unless you know the needs of the people,” he said.

Leroy Gainey, professor at Golden Gate Theological Seminary, gave the keynote speech at the event. He spoke about King’s Christian message of forgiveness for everyone, even those people who once represented oppression and injustice.

“There ought to be a day when I have no hate in my heart,” he said.

King promoted education as one of the keys to progress, Gainey said, before mentioning President Barack Obama’s proposal for free community college tuition. “You don’t jump up and become somebody, you have to have somebody teach you,” Gainey said.

Young people have to be willing to learn and work hard to earn a college degree. Anybody can achieve in America if you’re willing to work, Gainey said.

Grant Walton and his wife, Pandora Walton, sang along with others in the audience Monday and locked arms inside the church to demonstrate their unity with thoughts of King’s hope of bringing people together.

The Modesto couple said this holiday is a time for people with differing views to come together and work on reducing racial strife. “To make things better,” Grant Walton said. “To see things change in a positive way.”

This story was originally published January 19, 2015 at 5:11 PM with the headline "Modesto honors Martin Luther King Jr. at annual ceremony."