NEWBERRY — Following the march from Bethlehem Baptist Church, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day program in Memorial Park marked the occasion.
Newberry County Councilperson Travis Reeder welcomed all to the event, especially the large group of students from Newberry College. Reeder was joined on the Memorial Park stage by pastors Rembert Billie of Fellowship Baptist and Nura Ray Matthews of Friendship Baptist Church.
“King did many marches, that’s why we did march this morning. He did many marches during the time he was alive. We want to keep those marches going, we want to open up everybody’s mind, because the younger you are, you don’t realize that your forefathers had to go through for you to be where you are today,” Reeder said.
Billie delivered an opening prayer and a scripture reading from the 23rd Psalm. Following the reading, all who were present joined in singing “We Shall Overcome.”
The event’s keynote speaker was Matthews, who recalled the legacy of King and others in the Civil Rights Movement, starting with Rosa Parks and the bus boycott that began to get the nation’s attention.
Matthews reminded that the work of the movement is not over, and continues with the threat to voting rights to this day.
“Power in the wrong hands is dangerous,” he repeated for emphasis while speaking on the current political climate.
“I’m so happy to see the young people here. You are the generation that can make a difference. My age, 81 years old, I have been there, I lived there and I worked to stop some of the things that are going on right now,” Matthews said. “King did not try to make this a Christian nation, he was trying to make a just nation. Justice was the basis of King’s work and what should still be the work of those who want a better future.”
He concluded with the reminder of the power of voting and a reminder that, “elected officials work for the us, each one of us across America. Encourage your family members to vote. We vote for what’s going on in our country.”
The presentation concluded with a singing of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and a thank you from Newberry City Councilperson Carlton Kinard for all that came together to make the event happen, especially Newberry County and The City of Newberry and City of Newberry Parks, Rec. and Tourism.
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