In memory of a dream

Kicking off the event with some opening remarks was CMDCM(SW) Matthew Davis, command master chief of Naval Reserve Readiness Command Southeast. "Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement that he led in 1950s and 1960s. Like some of us here, I was not that old but I remember the marches he led, speeches he made and his fearless leadership during the violent force against him. I recall vividly the day he was murdered in Memphis."

"A historic figure to many, I still see Dr. King as a man who spoke out in the face of opposition and hatred. Dr. King's philosophy still resonates today as we continue to face the many consequences of discrimination and intolerance," said Davis. "This year's theme of 'Remember, Celebrate and Act, A Day On, Not a Day Off,' reiterates the importance of remembering his work and legacy, celebrating his birthday as a national holiday and act on his teachings, principles and methods of nonviolence as they apply to civil and human rights issues."

The highlight of the program came when Guest Speaker Angela Spears addressed the crowd. Spears, a reporter with Jacksonville's First Coast News, gave a riveting speech during which she urged the crowd not to forget King's struggle for civil rights and to remember so that the next generation could live his dream. ''Many people think these observances are just for African-Americans, but I disagree. If you remember the civil rights movement, the struggle, the fight for African-Americans rights and the equality to make sure we had the right to vote, there were white people walking hand-in-hand with black people," she said.

"I was fortunate to talk with Dr. and Coretta Scott King's daughter, Yolanda this week. She told me that her father fought to free us all, black and white. She reminded me that there were many white people who were enslaved mentally. That during the movement, there were inner and outer shackles and that her father worked to remove them from all of us," continued Spears. "Dr. King said the best course of action is a united course of action. He thought that fighting for our rights was the right thing to do. He had a dream - a dream that his four little children would one day live in a nation where they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. I hope that during this holiday and everyday we can open our minds and hearts and accept people for who they are."

HM1 Laquita Sumlin of Naval Hospital Jax was among the many who took time out of their busy work schedules to attend the event. "I'm here today to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He made the way for all of us and made it possible for me to be here today. I'm very proud to be here."

At the conclusion of the observance, the Jean Ribault High School Gospel Chorus treated the attendees to an inspiring performance. King was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. by a sniper on April 4, 1968. To honor King, the Congress of the United States in 1983 designated the third Monday in January as a national holiday, a day that falls on or near King's birthday of Jan. 15.