MLK Day Marked by Walk Through LG
The La Grange Juneteenth Committee held a Martin Luther King Jr. Day walk from the Fayette County Courthouse to the Fayette Public Library on Monday, Jan. 17.
About a hundred people participated in the walk. Dozens more joined them at the Fayette Public Library grounds for the MLK Day program.
The walk began on the west side of the Fayette County Courthouse. It proceeded east on Travis St. then turned south on Jefferson St., which was designated two years ago as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Highway.
Upon arrival at the library gazebo, a color guard from the La Grange American Legion Post raised the United States flag while attendees sang the National Anthem.
Rev. Austin Jones of St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Plum delivered a rousing prayer to start the program.
“We pray for unity, Father,” Jones said. “We stand against racism. We stand against anything that’s going to separate or divide us as a community. We realize you created us all equal, Father. We’re here today to take that stand and we realize a great sacrifice took place for us to be standing here right now.”
Debra Stewart of Schulenburg sang devotional songs. Rev. Andrew Stafford of Schulenburg recited some lines from “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by the Harlem Renaissance poet James Weldon Johnson. Originally a poem, the lyrics were later put to music.
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty
Let our rejoicing rise
High as the listening skies
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea
Marie Watts of La Grange gave a speech about Dr. King’s legacy and his notion of the “beloved community.” King wrote about this idea in his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”
“We need a community surrounded by reconciliation, friendship and human dignity,” Watts said. “His vision, while certainly Christian, is a worldwide vision. I think this is a human vision. It’s fascinating to learn that the directives given by the world religions fit nicely into this idea of a beloved community. What are those directives? The Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto others.”
La Grange Mayor Jan Dockery, the town’s first African-American mayor, gave a talk about social progress in La Grange. She spoke about learning about Dr. King’s death as an eight-year-old but not realizing his importance until growing up.
“We are living the reality of his dream in our everyday lives,” Dockery said.
Dockery read some demographic statistics about the racial makeup of La Grange: 55 percent white, 35 percent Hispanic, eight percent Black and two percent other.
Remarking on her election as mayor, Dockery said, “If this isn’t the vision of the works of Dr. King, then I don’t know what can be.”
La Grange Juneteenth organizer Jonathan Ellis closed the program by inviting everyone across the street to the Faison Home to view artwork and historical exhibits about La Grange’s African American heritage.