Speaker says act on MLK lessons
The Butler YWCA's Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast Monday was a celebration of the civil rights leader and a call to continue his work.
Nearly 50 people attended the 8 a.m. event to hear keynote speaker Belinda Richardson, vice president for academic affairs at Butler County Community College and a member of the YWCA's board of directors.
“I am excited and humbled to be asked to speak,” Richardson said. “Excited because we are benefiting from Dr. King's legacy and humbled by the profound impact he has had on the nation and the world.”
But she challenged the audience to embrace and act on King's lessons instead of merely honoring them.
“The choices we make can affect the nation,” she said. “Are we going to seize the moment to help others or will we let fear and apathy win?”
Richardson compared the legacy and example of Martin Luther King Jr. to a relay race.
“We must reach back through history; we must be students of history. We must grab the baton and begin the sprint.
“We are responsible for the next leg of the race and our moment comes at a crucial time,” she said.
She added this is a fraught moment in the nation's history during which the move toward enlightenment has been countered by a rise in intolerance and exclusion.
“Those who back bigotry must not be allowed to set the agenda,” she said.
Justice and peace are not inevitable, she warned and apathy is the enemy. She called on not just honoring King, but also recommitting to his principles.“Dr. King's legacy is an enduring legacy relevant at any moment where racism and injustice exists,” Richardson said.The Rev. Dan Waruszewski of St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in Butler said King's message and that of the Catholic Church are the same.“We believe no matter the race or age, all are created in the likeness and image of God and should be treated with dignity and love,” Waruszewski said.Elizabeth Short, executive director of the YWCA, said the organization decided to host a Martin Luther King Jr. event after not having one for the past several years.In introducing Richardson, Short said that remembering King is a call to do more than just honor his memory — it's a call to civic engagement.She said the Butler YWCA intends to fulfill that engagement in 2020 with both an intense voter registration drive and encouraging everyone to “participate in a full, fair and accurate Census.”“The Census will decide how $675 billion in government funding is distributed and representation in Congress,” Short said. “The Census happens once in a decade and we have to live with those numbers for 10 years.”
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