Martin Luther King Remembered

Many took time out their day today to remember the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who led the Poor People’s Campaign in 1968 that fought for equal rights.Community activists held their own version of the Poor Man’s Breakfast today.The breakfast was held at St. Luke United Methodist Church, which is an annual tradition in Boone County to honor the famous civil rights leader.The pastor at United Methodist Church, Dr Raymond Hayes said, “We think keeping the word poor in there is alright because we don’t want to gloss over the reality of what people are going through now.”Attendees of today’s breakfast say the famous, “I Have a Dream Speech” is something to remember during hard economic times, but they also want to focus on some of the positives.Hayes adds, “He would be very proud of Barack Obama being elected president, because it would be the fulfillment of perhaps the dream that he saw.”Although significant strides have been taken toward equal rights since that speech; one local student says it’s still an issue.Jamaia Nixon said, “I think it’s very important for someplace like Columbia to acknowledge this day because it’s such a diverse town, and even though it’s Barack’s second term there’s still a lot of racism in this area.”Activists tell us that one of the ways to fight for equality is to teach it, and engage the younger generation in more positive community activities like after school programs.According to Hayes, “when we come together on a day like today that we will be reminded that although we’ve made progress, we still have work to do.”The Poor Man’s breakfast was just one of several King events held today, the city also held an annual memorial at the King Gardens, and a candlelight vigil and march is tonight at 7 p.m. at Frederick Douglass High School.