James T. Smith, Jr.
Martin Luther King Day Celebration

January 18, 2008

It is an honor to join you today at Morning Star Baptist Church in celebration and veneration of the life of a great American – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

History

In 1953, Dr. King became the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In the fifteen short years that were left to him, Dr. King would impact the future of not just this nation but of the entire world, an impact that few have ever matched before, or since. He led a movement to end the tragic legacy of slavery by confronting the injustice of intolerance and bigotry across our country. He spoke eloquently on behalf of people without voices, disenfranchised voters, underpaid trash collectors, and a single tired woman who just wanted a seat on a bus at the end of a long day. His insistent message of nonviolence and tolerance forced a nation that was founded on the principle that all men are created equal to confront its own hypocrisy.

Tragically, this great man was taken from us on an April day in 1968. 40 years later, every citizen in the United States of America honors his memory on the third Monday of January. It is difficult to know exactly how a selfless man such as Martin Luther King, Jr. would have wanted to be honored on a day such as this. But I believe it was his wife, the late Coretta Scott King, who understood him best. She said, “Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not only for celebration and remembrance, education and tribute, but above all a day of service. All across America on the holiday, his followers perform service in hospitals and shelters and prisons and wherever people need some help. It is a day of volunteering to feed the hungry, rehabilitate housing, tutoring those who can't read, mentoring at-risk youngsters, consoling the broken-hearted and a thousand other projects for building the beloved community of his dream.”

Time and time again, Dr. King demonstrated how one ordinary individual can make a difference. He himself faced enormous opposition, but through dedicated perseverance, Dr. King was able to change the world. As we once again honor Dr. King’s life this coming Monday, there could be no tribute to his life more fitting than rolling up our own sleeves to work on behalf of our fellow citizens.

Believe In Service

Like Dr. King, we must believe that by serving others, we can make this world a better place. And his example continues to inspire us. You need look no further than this church today to see that Dr. King’s spirit is alive and well thanks to the selflessness of others. Charles Priddee and the Rising Scholars Program at Catonsville High School keep Dr. King’s spirit alive through providing minority students with opportunities to excel throughout their lives by increasing their chances of financial aid and admission to a two or four year college.

Rejie Abraham keeps his spirit alive by working to organize field trips on behalf of his fellow students and volunteering at a mission to help the homeless. Richard Hiteshew keeps Dr. King’s spirit alive by providing food, clothing, eviction prevention, and other essential aid and services through the Catonsville Emergency Assistance Network.

Reverend Tracy Victor-Butler keeps Dr. King’s spirit alive by providing leadership to 125 youth through the Mt. Calvary Youth Ministry. Zeb-Renee Myers keeps Dr. King’s spirit alive by collecting toys and funds for the annual toy drive for the Banneker Community Center in Catonsville.

Outstanding Employees

Dedicated government employees also keep his spirit alive, by serving the people of this County everyday as public servants. Many of our most outstanding employees are African Americans and other minorities who never would have even had the opportunity to serve in government if it were not for Dr. King’s efforts. Baltimore County has made real strides in promoting diversity in our workplaces. 28 percent of our County’s Department heads are African American, including our host today, the Director of the Office of Fair Practices, Adrienne Jones. This number does not include those African Americans in positions of authority, such as the talented Deputy Director of Corrections Deborah Richardson and the recently appointed Deputy Director of the Department of Aging JoAnn Williams.

12 percent of the Captains in our Police Department are African American. These are positions of leadership that will one day allow these officers to rise to higher ranks throughout the Department. 28 percent of our Fire Department’s recruits over the past five years have been African American as well. Thanks to Dr. King’s efforts, these talented men and women have an opportunity to serve others that would never have been available in Dr. King’s own lifetime. Today, these men and women keep his spirit alive in jobs that are vital to the continued prosperity of our County.

Keep the Dream Alive

We must keep Dr. King’s dream alive by having the courage to embrace the unselfish idealism that he preached. Dr. King once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?'" It is an important question – one that we must continue to ask ourselves everyday as we strive to build a better world for our children and our children’s children.