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Civil-rights leader honored
The Vindicator (Youngstown)
Photo
U.S. District Court Judge Benita Y. Pearson is flanked by the Rev. Dr. Lewis Macklin II, left, pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Youngstown, and the Rev. Kenneth Simon, pastor of New Bethel Baptist Church, also in Youngstown, as they sing “We Shall Overcome” during a memorial service for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Baptist Pastors’ Council of Youngstown and Vicinity sponsored the service Monday at the Mahoning County Courthouse rotunda.
By LINDA M. LINONIS
YOUNGSTOWN
Judge Benita Y. Pearson reminded those attending the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Service that it is their responsibility to “pick up the mantle and pass the torch” to keep the dream of racial equality alive.
The federal district judge of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio spoke Monday during a program in the Mahoning County Courthouse rotunda sponsored by the Baptist Pastors’ Council of Youngstown and Vicinity. The service remembered the civil-rights leader who was assassinated April 4, 1968.
Judge Pearson asked the 60 or so in attendance to “take ownership” of the dream of Dr. King. “Taking ownership” of Dr. King’s dream means working for racial equality and ending discrimination. “It is up to us to keep the dream robust,” she said, adding that part of that is sharing it with younger generations.
Judge Pearson said the “I Have a Dream” speech by King was a pivotal point in the civil-rights movement. She noted that King had three pages of prepared text, but gospel legend Mahalia Jackson urged him to tell the people about “the dream.”
“I believe his message that day was not what he had prepared but what God inspired him to speak,” Judge Pearson said. “He spoke from the head and heart.”
Judge Pearson said the speech, now enshrined in the national memory, conveyed that whites and blacks had to work together to achieve the dream.
She said young people must be educated about the bridges that have been crossed.
Judge Pearson, confirmed by the Senate in December and the first black woman to have a seat in any of Ohio’s federal judicial districts, urged the audience to remember the legacy of King and others who promoted social justice by taking action. She asked audience members to ask themselves: “How long before I do what’s necessary?”
“We must encourage young people to be well-educated and well-trained to make an honest living,” she said.
Jaladah Aslam, executive board member of Mahoning-Trumbull AFL-CIO and vice chairwoman of the local Community Mobilization Committee, said the labor movement is under siege. She said when King was killed in Memphis, Tenn., he was there to help 1,300 black sanitation workers get a living wage. “He brought attention to the injustice,” she said.
“Quality of life is under attack,” Aslam said, admitting that “everyone got complacent.”
Musical selections were presented by recording artist Karla Agee Seldon, and Elder Cynthia Wright-Palmer of Elizabeth Missionary Baptist Church.
Program participants were Pastor Ernest Ellis of Antioch Baptist Church; Pastor Harold J. Logan Jr., Beulah Baptist; Pastor Nathaniel Dubose, Lily Grove Baptist; Pastor Sylvia Jennings; Rev. Dr. Lewis W. Macklin II, Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist; Pastor Henry McNeil, Elizabeth Missionary Baptist; and Pastor Julius Davis, Friendship Baptist, Girard.
The Baptist Pastors’ Council of Youngstown and Vicinity, in partnership with Youngstown State University Foundation, awards the Rev. Martin Luther and Coretta Scott King Testament of Hope Scholarships. Each scholarship is $500. The scholarship program began in 2007.
RECIPIENTS
Cherron Lucas graduated with an associate degree in dental hygiene from YSU, where she is enrolled in the allied health program. She is married to David Lucas and the mother of two children. She attends Mount Calvary Pentecostal Church and Greater Liberty Baptist Church.
Dorothy L. Macklin earned an associate degree in early childhood education from YSU in 2009 and is working on a bachelor’s degree in family consumer sciences. She was inducted into Alpha Kappa Mu, national scholastic honor society. She is married to the Rev. Dr. Lewis Macklin II. They have four children and two grandchildren. She is involved in the ministry at Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, Youngstown, where her husband is pastor.
Marnate Rheins is a senior at YSU, where she is majoring in general studies with a concentration in business and fashion merchandising. She is a member of Omega Mu Alpha Christian sorority. She is married to Mark Rheins Jr., and they have a daughter.
REVIVAL
The council presents a three-day revival, “Stay on the Wall,” at area churches. The event begins at 5 p.m. Sunday with a worship service at New Bethel Baptist Church, 1507 Hillman St., Youngstown. During the revival, worship will be at 10 a.m. April 12-14 at Metropolitan Baptist Church, 351 W. Rayen Ave. Participating churches will conduct evening services.