Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been 87 years old on Friday had he not been struck down by an assassin’s bullet on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Although he died at a young age of 39, Dr. King accomplished much during his lifetime,” said Bank of Clarendon Community Development Officer and Assistant Marketing Officer Kimberly O. Johnson, who was the guest speaker Sunday at the Manning branch of the NAACP’s service observing King’s life and legacy at Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ in Davis Station.
“Dr. King once said that the quality, not the longevity, of one’s life is what is important,” Johnson said. “The quality of his life substantiates those words.”
“His life is full of great work that sought to end discrimination, racial inequality and injustice,” Johnson said. “His work and all that he stood for truly speaks for him today, as well as when he was alive. Dr. King showed that it was possible to bring agreement where disagreement reigned, and he accomplished this by using peaceful, nonviolent means. He spent his whole life working so that we could have the liberties and freedoms that so many of us take for granted today.”
Johnson spoke of King’s involvement in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, which began when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and was arrested and fined for her courageous insubordination.
“Wherever there were issues of segregation, discrimination and inequality, Dr. King was called upon to bring about that positive change,” Johnson said. “As a result of his god work as the leader of the Civil Rights Movement for 13 years, he received many awards, accolades and other forms of recognition; chief among them was the Nobel Peace Prize, which he won in 1964.”
Johnson opined about how King would respond to the way life is in 2016.
“How would he feel about the circumstances that we find ourselves in, after all his preaching and teaching, after all of the marches and demonstrations, after being ridiculed, abused and wounded, even after giving his life so that all of us could have a better life, would Dr. King be pleased with life as it is now?” Johnson said. “I often wonder how people that have passed away years ago in our community, Mr. Billie S. Fleming, Mr. William Hamilton, the Rev. J.E. DeLaine and, even recently, Mr. Ford, would react if they could have a glimpse of what our world is like today.”
In response to the question, “What would Jesus Do?” Johnson advised those present at Sunday’s service to take a minute and ask “What would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. do?”
She referenced King’s dream speech in asking the question, pointing to progress made since the civil rights activists’ death nearly five decades ago.
“During his days … black people were called many names, mainly derogatory names,” Johnson said. “However, in part, thanks to him, black people in Clarendon County are now called names like Senator, Madam Clerk of Court, Madam Auditor. I think the thing he would be most proud of, in reference to this, as that where we used to be called things such as ‘boy’ or the ‘N-word,’ as of 2008, we are now called things like ‘Mr. President.’ Doesn’t that sound good?”
Johnson said, because of King, young people can aspire to those same lofty titles.
“Our young people now have living examples of the cliché that you can be anything you want, so long as you are willing to work hard to achieve it,” Johnson said. “They now have living examples of the cliché, ‘The sky is the limit.’ Because of the examples that exist right here in Clarendon County, the youth do not have to see that as empty words that just sound good.”
She pointed to living examples in the room of Triumph the Church Kingdom of God in Christ who serve as leaders throughout the Clarendon Community, including Manning City Councilman Clayton Pack, Manning Municipal Judge James Dingle, and Leon Richburg.
“As I think back about Dr. King and what he would do under these circumstances, I believe he would beam with pride, because he deserves a lot of credit for this,” Johnson said. “All of this sounds good to us, but keep in mind that in order to be judged by the content of our character, we must first possess a positive character.”
Johnson said Dr. King did not “march, demonstrate, lead and die so that we can be our own worst enemy.”
“I submit to you today that he would be proud of the progress that has been made, but he would remind us that there is still a long way to go,” Johnson said. “He would encourage us not to rest on our laurels, but to not rest until his dream is fully realized. The challenges that lie ahead are great, and we must not only meet them head on, we must conquer them. We must be too full, too focused to be distracted by a crumb.”
Johnson said she believes King would be disappointed in the senseless acts of violence
“How would he feel if he picked up the paper or saw the news on TV and saw the faces of young black people splattered all across the front page or across the TV screen for all of the negative things that some are engaged in?” Johnson asked. “I mean, how do you think he would react if he knew about all the drive-by shootings, the car-jackings, the strong-arm robberies, drugs being sold in our own neighborhoods and other acts of unnecessary violence?”
“I wonder what he would do, especially after he has shown us how much can be accomplished using peaceful means and with a little patience?” Johnson added.
She said that King also knew the value of the right to vote.
“He once said, ‘I have come to see more and more that the most decisive step the Negro can take is the one toward the voting booth. It is an important step,’” Johnson quoted. “’Because we gained the ballot,’ King continued, ‘and through that we gained political power. I’m not interested in power for power’s sake, but I am interested in power that is moral, that is right, that is good.’”
Johnson asked what King would do if he knew how much work, energy and resources are involved to get some folks to the polls.
“The right to vote is a precious right that was not granted to African-Americans at one time,” she said. “After much struggle and strife, after countless demonstrations and marches, and after many sacrifices by many people, and for some even the ultimate sacrifice, we now have the same right to vote as others. I think Dr. King would encourage us to exercise this precious right and make sure that others do as well.”
NAACP member Peggy Knox said she appreciated Johnson’s remarks.
“For me, this day is so powerful and it has gotten me to the point where it makes me rethink about life,” she said. “(King) paved the way for me as well as many others from that period of time.”
Knox said she was a small child when King’s work initially made national headlines.
“I can remember coming and not really knowing what it was all about, but as I got older, I realized his importance and the role he played in my life. Today, anytime I hear such a speech it makes me emotional because it’s just so powerful. (Johnson’s speech) brought back a lot of memories. It is just so awesome to see young females, especially young African American females, come out and represent because we are so often stereotyped.”
Clarendon 1 Superintendent Dr. Rose Wilder agreed.
“I was Kimberly’s principal, and also Kimberly’s superintendent,” said Wilder, who was previously with Clarendon School District 2. “Kimberly graduated from Manning High School in 1998. She was always an outstanding young lady. She works very hard, and she is a lady of integrity. She is an asset to our community.”
Manning branch membership Chairman Moses Levy said he was pleased with Sunday’s program.
“It was extremely good, first of all, to recognize the life and legacy of Dr. King and, secondly, to bring in a young person who grew up under the administration of people like Mrs. Ford and Mr. Billie Fleming and some of our other county leaders, for her to be at a point where she can come and deliver a message to not just young people, but people of all ages,” Levy said. “I just appreciate the public coming out. I think the turnout was really good.”
