by Shawn Nowlin
While the Jim Crow era may seem like ancient history to some, for many throughout the City of Roanoke, the memories of social injustice and segregation are as fresh today as they were decades ago.
Because of their unwavering commitment to justice and furthering the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a contingent of local pastors spoke at a city-wide ecumenical worship celebration at Hill Street Baptist Church Monday, Jan. 20, 2015.
The observance was presented by the Roanoke Justice Ministries, of which Dr. David Jones is president and served as emcee of the event which began at 7 p.m.
Reverend Preston Tyler, Pastor of Hill Street, and Reverend Jen Raffensperger, Pastor of Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke, provided the purpose of the occasion and prayer of confession, respectively.
“We gather today to celebrate and reflect on the work of all the people who have lived lives in service of others,” Tyler said. “At 26, Dr. King was elected President of the Montgomery Improvement Association. At 28, he formed the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
At 34, he was arrested for leading a peaceful march and at 39, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. That man dedicated his life to the cause of peace, justice and equality for all people.”
The Pastor of Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church, Rev. Andrew Whaley, moved people emotionally with his inspirational homily.
“We have to look back so we can know how to move forward. We remember Atlanta and the Ebenezer Baptist Church, Moorehouse College, Boston University and the discovery of the teachings of Gandhi,” Whaley passionately said. “We recall a bridge in Selma where people joined arm and arm and walked across for justice while the hoses sprayed and the dogs attacked.”
He added, “Prophets don’t let us hide from our history. But history is complex because people are. We can’t talk about our history without remembering glimmers of glory. People like Virginia Lee and her library in Gainsboro. People like Oliver Hill at the council table of the Supreme Court during the Brown V. Board trial.”
Before Reverend Dr. Ron Parker, Pastor of First Baptist Church-Gainsboro, introduced the keynote speaker, the Spirit of Unity Choir performed multiple selections. Those who’ve never experienced Rev. Wright got a glimpse into why he is such an acclaimed orator. With his incredibly grounding and classically humorous manner, Rev. Wright “painstakingly” etched through his passionate old school gospel message with style.
“When I was 12, I witnessed a white man picking up his foot and kicking my dad in the butt. I never forgot it. Anger festered in me. I’m not a person of anger until you push me. That painful memory can never be erased,” he said.
On the third Monday of January each year, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day is observed in America. During the holiday, state offices, courts, public schools and other businesses are all closed. Only twice in history has the President of the United States been sworn in on MLK Day – Trump this year and Bill Clinton in 1997.
To Wright, Trump is the embodiment of everything Dr. King stood against. “I personally experienced Dr. King’s aura at Virginia Union University. That experience changed my whole life. He came to campus and was responsible for the training that we received. He almost didn’t seem real. If he were alive today, I think we all know how he would feel about Donald Trump.”
