NEWBERRY — On Jan. 15, a sizable crowd gathered at Bethlehem Baptist Church to commemorate the life of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on what would have been the civil rights leader’s 89th birthday. The day’s events began with a march from the church, located at 1501 College Street, to Miller Chapel AME Church, at 500 Caldwell Street.
What began as a crowd of about 40 people at Bethlehem became a congregation of nearly 250 by the time the assembly reached Miller Chapel. Marchers sang spirituals as more people joined the downtown procession. Participants included infants, college students, seniors 70 years and above, and nearly all age groups in between.
The group arrived at Miller Chapel for the commemoration service, which began with a chorus of “We Shall Overcome,” followed by an invocation by the Rev. Rembert Billie of Fellowship Baptist Church in Pomaria. The Rev. Nura Ray Matthews delivered the occasion, and Pastor Geneva Ware of Shiloh Outreach Church in Whitmire led the Litany of Commemoration of Dr. King.
Mayor Foster Senn greeted the assembly on behalf of the City of Newberry. Young Ky Brian Alexander recited King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, originally delivered on Aug. 28, 1963 on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The service included musical selections performed by the Sons of Fairview quartet, the Sims Chapel Young Adult Choir, the Newberry Mass Choir, Jeffrey Lampkin and the Francis Marion University YGB Gospel Choir, the New Covenant Spiritual Dancers, the United Voices choir and the New Enoree Mass Choir.
Larry Graham introduced the keynote speaker, retired US Army Col. Larry Boyd. Graham has known Boyd for 45 years, they roomed together at South Carolina State University and pledged Omega Psi Phi fraternity.
A native of Newberry, Boyd retired in 2010 after 30 years of service in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserve. Before joining the army, he earned a baccalaureate degree in political science from South Carolina State University, later acquiring his Master of Science degree in general administration from Central Michigan University, and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College. He is a member of numerous professional, civic and community organizations, and he has received awards for outstanding leadership, distinguished military service, and religious devotion. Currently employed as the senior instructor for the Army JROTC at Darlington High School, he resides in Florence with his wife, Paula.
Boyd called the observed birthday of Martin Luther King “a day on, not a day off,” and this was a recurring theme throughout his address.
“I was born in the sticks, in the country, like many of you. Born the last of six sons, all of us delivered by a midwife,” Boyd said. “There was only one African American doctor in the entire county, so he obviously couldn’t make all the rounds.”
Boyd referred to the late Dr. Julian E. Grant, who came to Newberry in 1930 and later established People’s Hospital on Vincent Street to treat the underserved black population. “He often was paid in produce and livestock by patients who could not afford to pay anything else,” Boyd said.
“Growing up in Newberry in the 50s and 60s, I saw racism up close and personal,” he said. “I saw the colored-only and the white-only water fountains. I saw the KKK ride through town, Confederate flags a-waving, driving to their Klan rallies, yelling racial slurs at us. I remember my mother used to tell us, me and my cousin, ‘if you see ‘em, you better get to running for safety so you don’t get smashed up.’ I recall in the sixties going to the downtown movie, the Ritz Theatre, how whites went downstairs, blacks had to go in the side alley and upstairs, just to watch a movie.”
“In 1967-68, public schools in Newberry County first integrated. I was one of a small group of black students who had to leave the old black Drayton Street school to start the integration process. It was a culture shock. It was at times scary, because of the unknowns, and some of the ignorant behaviors we had to endure. You know we had to make our way to school while there were protest marches going on in the streets. Yeah, we were called the n-word by some white parents and students. Many times we could sense that others thought we were inferior, academically and otherwise. Nonetheless, we persevered.”
“I recall my mother and father telling me, when I first went to Speers Street, to do my best. They emphasized to me that I was just as smart and just as good as the other kids. So, in other words, don’t let your circumstances or struggles defeat you. But allow those experiences to develop you. Fast forward 50 years later, little did I know, back in 1968, I would be making history, and never would I have imagined I would be speaking here today on such an occasion.”
“Like many of you who were alive during King’s time, his features are an integral part of our psyche. When I hear ‘I’ve been to the mountaintops,’ or ‘I have a dream,’ or ‘We shall overcome,’ or the Drum Major Eulogy, the emotion of the times comes over me. I know that the influences of my parents and Dr. King have significantly led to my life of service, and I never really gave it much thought until I started writing this speech. In the military profession, we stand ready to make the ultimate sacrifice, should it be necessary as a part of our mission. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. laid down his life so that all Americans might have a right to the American Dream.”
“Dr. King was a great American, and it was appropriate to honor him with a national holiday. But we also have a challenge. The challenge of having these commemorative services is that we have to find a way to bring people of all ethnicities together. In many of these type services, we have more African Americans attending than other groups. I don’t think that fulfills the goal of the life and death of Martin Luther King. We have to bring everyone together for these types of services.”
“As a community, and as a nation, we must never allow the clock to be turned back on the progress and achievements that we have made, and the principles we stand for. Whether we are black, or white, Hispanic, Native American or Asian, we must not forget Dr. King’s dream for America. It was about our common humanity, our fundamental values, our human decency, and mutual respect for one another in the United States, and for other cultures and societies around the world, where no one individual or community should be judged by the color of their skin, the texture of their hair, the god that they worship, or the language that they speak,” Boyd said.
Event organizer and Newberry County Councilman Travis Reeder thanked Bethlehem Baptist Church, the Living Hope Foundation, Marvis Floyd, Miller Chapel AME Church, the Pi Beta Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Walmart for their contributions to the commemoration. The Rev. Ertha Bowman of Miller Chapel closed the service with the benediction.
