It’s up to today’s generation to keep the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. alive, speakers said during the pre-MLK Jr. Day celebration at the Texas African American Museum in Tyler.
Keynote speaker Greg Muckleroy of Kilgore said that while much progress has been made, more needs to be done, because King would not be happy with the way things are going today.
“There is no question in my mind that if Dr. Martin Luther King were alive today, he would be just as angry today as he was in 1967-68,” Muckleroy said. “There is no doubt. In our times, we face different challenges. Although technically they are not the same, in essence they are. We don’t have the same opportunities we thought we would. We are still discriminated against in many ways. The north side of Tyler is not the same as the south side of Tyler.”
Muckleroy said that while East Texas is a completely different place now than it was during the Civil Rights Movement, there are still disparities across the region.
“We are living better, but things are just not the same by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “…We’ve made a tremendous amount of progress. I have seen incredible changes in East Texas since I was a senior in high school. This is a completely different place. Our communities are much more integrated than ever. We get to go places we never could in the ’50s and ’60s. It just makes the world and Texas such a different place.”
However, some of the forces that fought against integration still exist today, Muckleroy said.
“Some of those people are still trying to do the same things they were doing before. For them, there is no interest in mixing the races,” she said.
Muckleroy said those people use their voices as proxy and talk to representatives to try to erase the work that King and others have done over the years.
“They have the ability to talk to our legislators to tell them what they don’t want. Our problem is that we have that same voice, but we don’t talk to our representatives. We don’t even know who they are,” he said, encouraging attendees to get involved in their local communities and learn how to communicate with their representatives.
Attendees sing “The Black National Anthem: ‘Lift Up Every Voice and Sing'” during the Martin Luther King Jr. pre-holiday celebration at the Texas African American Museum in Tyler on Saturday. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Additionally, Muckleroy said the most important thing the African-American community can do to keep King’s dream alive is to get involved.
“Those things that promote equality and the things that Martin Luther King fought for, we have to do our part,” he said. “It is useless to have the right to vote if we do not vote. That is very hard to understand how we fight so hard to be where we are and then have our own citizens turn their backs on our opportunities. But we can change things if we participate, speak up and have a voice.”
Muckleroy added that many of the things King spoke about in the 1960s are still true today and encouraged attendees to listen to the speeches that are available on YouTube.
The Rev. Ricky Garner, who introduced Muckleroy and also spoke at the event, said one of Muckleroy’s remarks was worth repeating.
“The thing that sticks with me is, ‘If Dr. King were alive today, he’d still be angry.’ Isn’t that something? Because we tend to think we’re past that point, but the fact is, if Dr. King was in the place that I’m in right now, he wouldn’t be happy,” Garner said. “It is critical that we do not forget our history and what we have been through and the struggle. We have certainly made progress, but there is still a lot to do.”
Garner asked the community to get involved.
“This holiday season, let’s take this opportunity to get involved and stay involved at all levels so that we can be enablers of change, the change that we need to see, that Dr. King spoke of, so that we can realize his dream. Because it hasn’t been done yet, but we’re working on it.”
Texas African American Museum executive director Gloria Washington speaks Saturday during the museum’s pre-holiday celebration ahead of MLK Jr. Day. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Gloria Washington, Executive Director of the Texas African American Museum, spoke about the importance of celebrating MLK Jr. Day and what it means to carry on his legacy.
“We don’t want to let the dream go away, we don’t want to let it die,” Washington said. “We have to pick up the pieces.”
PHOTO GALLERY: MLK Jr. Day Pre-Holiday Celebration at TAAM in Tyler
He added that “it’s up to us” to create a better environment for the next generation.
Stanley Cofer, president of the Empowerment Community Development Corporation, thanked God for the opportunity to live King’s dream “out loud.”
Stanley Cofer, president of the Empowerment Community Development Corporation in Tyler, speaks to the crowd during MLK Jr.’s pre-holiday celebration at the Texas African American Museum in Tyler on Saturday. (Santana Wood/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
“Those of us alive today are living the dream out loud. We just have to seize the opportunities that come our way,” she said. “Because if we don’t, his murder would be in vain. God has to use someone, and King stepped up and was that vessel for God to use. We owe him a lot and we celebrate his legacy and what he has done.”
Muckleroy and Larry Wade, who led prayers at the event, recalled where they were when King was assassinated nearly 55 years ago.
“I was in Quitman, Texas at my grandmother’s house when the news came on the screen,” Wade said. “I will never forget that day…. There are some things that you just don’t forget. You can read about things in a book, but when you have experienced these things for yourself, you will never forget them.”
Also at the event, Muckleroy gave an overview of King’s life and achievements.
For entertainment, the Promise Academy Choir sang for the crowd. Attendees also joined in singing “The Negro National Anthem.”
Approximately 85 attendees attended the event and also enjoyed light refreshments inside the museum while taking a tour to learn more about African American history in East Texas and the state as a whole.
MLK Jr. Day activities at Tyler will continue Monday with the annual celebration hosted by the Tyler Race Relations Forum. It will kick off Monday at 9 am in downtown Tyler Square with a short program, followed by a 9:30 am march to the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 423 S. Broadway, for the 10 am program.
Tyler Race Relations Forum Vice President Dorinda Williams encouraged the community to come out and participate. For those who cannot walk from the square to the cathedral, there will be a bus to transport attendees. Williams said she can also go directly to the church and wait for the program to start. Retired Air Force Major Beverly J. Russell will be the keynote speaker.
