Teen essays show Dr. King’s message still alive
Jeff Huntley The Rev. Theodore Calhoun of Shrewsbury Avenue AME Zion Church chats with Humanitarian Award recipient Sydney Summers at the YMCA Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast.
YMCAs in Red Bank,
Freehold hold annual memorial breakfast
By JOHN BURTON
Staff Writer
WEST LONG BRANCH — It has been 30-plus years since civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was slain by an assassin’s bullet. But for many who were not even born yet, Dr. King’s message of equality and hope for all is as vital today as it was for those who lived through those turbulent, often tragic, times of the 1960s.
On Monday, the Community YMCA, Red Bank, and the YMCA of Western Monmouth County, Freehold Township, held its 12th annual memorial breakfast at Squire’s Court, West Long Branch, to honor King’s legacy.
To commemorate its 16th year as a national holiday, students from Freehold and Red Bank Regional high schools were asked to submit essays on "What Dr. King’s Dream Means to Me."
Stacy Tarver, a 15-year-old Red Bank Regional student from Little Silver, said because she grew up as a biracial child in a primarily white community, King’s message certainly resonated with her.
"Being half black and half Chinese and growing up in Little Silver, I can say I was literally the darkest child in my elementary and middle school," she said.
Tarver said she personally, and thankfully, never experienced racism firsthand. But she remembered her father telling a story about how, while walking his dog one night shortly after moving to Little Silver, he was stopped and questioned by a police officer.
Last year’s essay winner, Sydney Summers of Belmar, who is enrolled in Red Bank Regional’s performing arts program, was the recipient of this year’s Humanitarian Award.
She said she hopes to keep King’s spirit alive through her work with various volunteer groups, and by being respectful to all people.
"As far as I can tell, things are getting better," she noted. "And I hope to honor the memory of Dr. King by just being the best that I can be as an African American."
The featured speaker was the Rev. Dr. William D. Watley, of St. James A.M.E. Church, Newark, who expressed some concern with the forthcoming George W. Bush administration and with the state of race relations.
"If this president walks a different path than his father, that would surprise me," he said.
Despite the strides made since King’s death, Watley said the racial divide is still pronounced, and at best, race relations are tenuous, pointing to the accusation of racial profiling by law enforcement.
"It is a cancer on the life of our great nation," he said.
"If he [King] were alive today, he would be siding with the Black Caucus in opposing Bush’s appointments," Watley said. "If the election shows anything, it shows how divided we are."
But Watley wasn’t entirely pessimistic about the future. With his faith comes hope, especially through events such as this one.
"It is important that the next generation continues to realize his work," he said. "I do not believe Dr. King would be pleased, but I remain hopeful that we do not slide backward in the future."
Richard Pollack, chief executive officer for the Community YMCA, said it is through this event and the organization’s youth development and mentoring program that the spirit of King’s work can be promoted all year.
"The effort has been made to keep the kids connected in the community with Dr. King’s message," Pollack said. "It is our way to keep the dream alive."