This was my first year going to the Dr. Martin Luther King Unity Breakfast in Birmingham, Alabama to support the Civil Rights Movement. I have no clue to the reason of why I did not attend this wonderful event. My son William V wanted to go and was pleased to get up early. I asked why he wanted to go and he said, “so I can be with you dad.”
When we walked in we heard the wonderful voices of the choir that transformed the convention center into a Baptist Church. This 27thh Annual event lived up to the high standards of the SCLC. The first thing that was evident is that this was a celebration of the past triumphs of Dr. King and the people of the Civil Rights movement and boost towards the future of possibilities.
The Keynote speaker was Dr. Charles Steele, SCLC President and CEO, his presence demanded attention. His commitment to the organization and people of all creeds showed in the first few sentences of his speech. He mentioned “Birmingham to Bethlehem” which is a campaign to bring nonviolence to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. He said he was in a meeting where a Palestinian man thanked him for holding the banner of nonviolence because, before their encounter the man did not realize that there was an alternative to violent conflict resolution.
Mr. Steele also mentions a “Poor Peoples Campaign “in Paris, France due to the overwhelming unemployment in that country. This interests me because I set and marched with the original leader of the Poor Peoples Campaign, Hosea Williams. Mr. Williams was a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement and to watch him work was masterful. His network of dignitaries and homeless was immense. I think the SCLC should involve Jay Z and Kanye West as well as the down trodden.
In his meeting with President Gorbachev, Mr. Steele said the President asked him, “If the Dream was realized,” I just want you to pause there and ask that question that yourself. If Yes, then celebrate and get back to work. And if No, just get back to work.
He told of his fundraising prowess and how he steered the organization to receive 20 million dollars in a 3 year period which led to the erection of a new office building. It also set a secure foundation for the SCLC’s future in the Civil Rights Movement. This is a long way from the days of Dr. Fred Shuttlesworth. I wrote a post “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants.” When Dr. Steele met Roland Martin, CNN analyst, Mr. Martin congratulated him and said “the building is good, but what are you doing for the people?” This question adds to the question from President Gorbachev and should make all of us who live the Dream focus on actions.
I have a more definitive answer to why I have not attended the Unity Breakfast. The answer is that I was enjoying the Dream and now I need to help others fight for their Dream.
How will you help the Civil Rights Movement? How are you helping others achieve the dream?