With a voice that echoed the melodious tone in sermons and speeches delivered by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Rev. Dr. Lewis V. Baldwin, an ordained minister, addressed the theme “Honoring a Legacy That Still Inspires” during the annual King Sunrise Celebration on Monday.
Rev. Baldwin, who has written and edited several books, including Thou Dear God: Prayers That Open Hearts and Spirits (Beacon, 2011), said he had many deep recollections of “a man righteous in his generation; a man who walked across the stage of history and left a legacy of achievement that will endure.”
He said Dr. King’s name is synonymous with commitment, sacrifice, and hope, noting that Dr. King “has affected each of us in such profound ways that have yet to be fully analyzed and assessed.” He added that many Americans are still unclear about who he was and what he might he expect of us today.
Yet, Rev. Baldwin said, we have much to learn about Dr. King in terms of the prayer circle and picket line, which were “united in a powerful way” during the Civil Rights Movement.
He told the audience that “we need to reclaim Dr. King’s model of spirituality. Dr. King reminded us that we all share a spiritual bond.”
Oralia Garza de Cortés, past president of Reforma: the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking, provided the call to action. She said the Sunrise Service “serves as a calming balm for the journey as we muddle through in our attempt to figure out how we are to carry out Dr. King’s legacy in both our personal and professional lives.”
“I want to agitate you into action, ‘creative tension,’ as Dr. King called it, because unfortunately in America today, children are still being judged by the color of their skin and not by the content of their character,” she explained. “They are being judged by what neighborhood they live in, what school they go to, and what language they speak.
“As we continue to advance in this rapidly changing, complex technological world of ours, we must continue to challenge ourselves: What will you do from this day forward to act on those values that matter most?”
Garza de Cortés continued, “Forty-four years after his death, Dr. King continues to inspire new generations of brave young people who are holding fast to their dream. They call themselves the Dreamers, the undocumented children of immigrant parents who were brought to this country as children by their parents.” She said that they, like Dr. King, are taking bold courageous steps, taking up their cause for a right to an education and for an identity—American citizenship.
“Let us act together to right the wrongs and develop the relational power necessary to transform our libraries,” she concluded, ending her call by asking the audience to join her in the clap/chant—the farm workers’ gesture symbolizing hope in the struggle.
The program is sponsored by the Social Responsibilities Round Table’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Task Force, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association, and World Book. It is supported by ALA’s Office for Literacy and Outreach Services.