Martin Luther King Jr.’s arguably most famous speech was the one that’s commonly referred to as “I Have a Dream.”
On Monday, folks gathered at the 1924 Courthouse in Newton for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration to honor the civil rights leader and minister who was assassinated in 1968. During the celebration, keynote speaker Betty Coulter challenged those attending to find and live their dream.
Coulter, who is the vice chairperson of Newton-Conover City Schools, told the crowd that some may think their season to dream has passed but it’s not too late, she said. She pointed to examples from the Bible who “lived their time to dream,” including Moses and King David.
She also talked about celebrated neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. Carson, she said, thought he was dumb until he one day spoke up in class to give the scientific name of a particular rock. That was when he started living in his dream, she said.
Coulter challenged those attending to help others live their dream, telling them to be involved in the classroom. And if they don’t have the time to serve in the classroom, they should find a way to support children in the effort to live their dream.
She encouraged people to contribute to the social services backpack program, which is coordinated through schools to provide meals during weekends to students who otherwise might go hungry. The program is solely funded through donations from individuals, churches and businesses.
If that’s not an option, Coulter encouraged helping students complete applications for colleges or help them to get the needed equipment to participate in sports or other activities. Helping at a school function also is a way people can contribute, she said.
“Set an example,” Coulter said. “Begin your legacy today.”
In a year that would have marked King’s 83rd birthday, Coulter questioned whether he would have dreamed that America would have a president who is black. She commented on the irony of President Barack Obama being the one to dedicate the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC.
Monday’s celebration also was a time to reflect on how far the country has come and how far it still has to go when it comes to civil rights.
The Rev. Vincent Ross, pastor of Maiden Chapel Baptist Church, on the short march from St. Paul United Methodist Church to the courthouse on Monday, wondered what it was like for King to march from city to city; and what kept him sustained in the face of adversity and hate. It was God, Ross said he concluded, and that God chose King to lead the civil rights movement.
“The same dream that was alive then is still alive today,” Ross said.
Ross said the dream was bigger than King or bigger than any one group of people.
Monday’s celebration also was a time to give back. Around 200 boxes of food were given to those in need after the event. It was sponsored by the Catawba County Branch of the NAACP.
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