Harrisburg MLK celebration addresses racial, economic, social inequalities

HARRISBURG -- Righteous women and men must speak the truth regarding racial, economic and social inequalities, the guest speaker at Monday's celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said.

About 40 people gathered for Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church's 16th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast at the Pruett Building on East Church Street in Harrisburg and heard music and messages that paid tribute to King's life.

The Rev. Crawford Wilson, pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, spoke regarding this year's theme, "If the Truth be Told." Wilson, who also served as a pastor at Mount Pleasant several years ago, said he was emotional in remembrance of the event's founder, Charlotte Taborn of Harrisburg.

"I'm kind of choked up remembering Charlotte Taborn started this about 16 years ago, and it's still going on," Wilson said.

He said while American society is making progress in terms of reducing inequalities, work is far from over.

"We have seen improvements, but we still have a lot to do and a lot to overcome," Wilson said. "Charlotte is not here, but she planted a seed. Martin Luther King is not here, but he planted a seed."

He compared speaking the truth about inequality and consequences to the Biblical account of Jesus Christ's ministry.

"You can get into an awful lot of trouble telling the truth. Jesus Christ told the truth and it got him killed," Wilson said. "But, the word of God continues to manifest itselft, and no matter what the consequences, you have to tell the truth."

Wilson addressed difficulties people of color experience when trying to vote and a growing income gap between whites and non-whites as two issues still facing American society today.

"Voting should be a right everyone should have, but when some states make it difficult for people to exercise their vote, they become disenfranchised," he said.

That disenfranchisement, in turn, he said, leads to a select group of people making decisions at all levels of government.

"If you let a minority be a voice for the majority, that's not a democracy," he said.

He urged people to vote during elections to give a better representation of the nation's population.

"We have to act. We have the responsibility to make changes in our society. We can do that by voting," Wilson said. "We have to change the focus of policies on our people. Martin spoke to us, and is still speaking to us beyond the grave. We have to be able to hear what he is saying."

After Wilson's address, others in attendance were asked to offer their own opinions and perspectives.

Pat Hodge, the mistress of ceremonies for the event, said she can recall the changes she's seen in Harrisburg since the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement.

"I have seen change in Harrisburg. When I was a girl, you couldn't go to the skating rink. Then, when we finally went there, they said it wasn't that you couldn't go. You didn't come," Hodge said.

She also spoke of black citizens who went to the movie theater being forced to sit in the three rearmost aisles.

"I remember sitting in the back of the movie theater when I had paid my money like everyone else," she said.

She said while some racial inequalities are a thing of the past, more work remains to eliminate those that exist. To that end, she mentioned the Saline County Black Caucus, a local group dedicated to improving opportunities for black people through education and political action.

Harrisburg resident Diane Taborn also spoke, saying that despite racial improvements, there are some fears people of color face on a daily basis.

"I have a son in St. Louis, and I pray every day he's not mistaken for someone else," Taborn said.

She also said sometimes accusations of reverse racism or a lack of patriotism are unfairly hurled at black people.

"When we take a dramatic stand, people come against us and tell us we don't love America," Taborn said. "That's not true. We love America. We love freedom."

She echoed comments others had made regarding continuing Martin Luther King Jr.'s work.

"Martin Luther King did what he had to do, and we've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," she said. "Martin Luther King said we must run. If can't run, we must walk, and if we can't walk, by all means, crawl."