Dr. King’s Legacy of Leadership & Perseverance

To the Editor:

Had he lived, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 95 years old on January 15th (1/15/29-4/4/68). He was a great leader, husband, father, scholar, orator and negotiator.

Dr. King followed in the footsteps of his grandfather and father in the family’s long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. He attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at 15, received the BA degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, and a graduate studies degree at Boston University in 1955. In Boston, he met and married Coretta Scott. They raised four children.

In 1954, King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. As a leader in the NAACP, he led the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted 382 days. On 12/21/56, the Supreme Court declared that Negroes and whites could ride the buses as equals. During these days of boycott, King was arrested, his home was bombed, he was subjected to personal abuse. Nevertheless, he emerged as a respected Black leader.

In 1957, King was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, formed to provide new leadership for the civil rights movement. He took the ideals for this organization from Christianity; its operational techniques from Gandhi. He also wrote five books and numerous articles. King led a massive protest in Birmingham, Alabama, which inspired his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” stating that freedom, justice and equality could not wait.

Dr. King advocated for freedom, justice and equality, which is outlined in his “I have a Dream” speech at the

8/28/63 March on Washington. On 4/4/68 in Memphis, Tennessee, King was assassinated when fighting for better working conditions for 1,300 African-American sanitation workers, as part of his Poor People’s Campaign. Dr. King leaves a legacy of leadership and perseverance. Please teach your children and grandchildren about this great prophet. With the powers that be attempting to eliminate the history of people of color and rejecting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, concerned folks must endeavor to teach our families, friends and acquaintances about the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

—Francine Reva Jones

Submit to Co-op City Creatives!

BY P.M. CAMPBELL

With thousands of residents from all across the globe, Co-op City is home to artists of all kinds. Shareholders have written books, performed poetry, directed films, created murals, and they all deserve a spotlight. The column, “Co-op City Creatives,” serves not only to analyze shareholders’ art from Sections 1-5, but to also take a deep dive on what makes that artist unique. If you consider yourself an artist, regardless of age, medium, or education, send your work to cctimes@riverbaycorp.com with the subject “Co-op Creatives” and include your phone number so you’ll have the chance to be interviewed and your work displayed in the Co-op City Times.

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