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King honored by community
By Regina Eckes
Published:
Thursday, January 23, 2003
Media Credit: Jason Risberg
Tarsisia Salve Ponera and Mediatrix Mapunda, Sisters of St. Agnes, Chipole, Tanzania, sang Psalm 126 in Swahili Monday night at St. Mary�s Cathedral during a prayer service for peace and non-violence that commemorated Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Media Credit: Jason Risberg
Protesters walked from the Federal Building in St. Cloud where they had been holding a silent vigil to a prayer service for peace and non-violence at St. Mary�s Cathedral Monday evening.
While many residents probably spent the better part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday in their nice, cozy pajamas, some people took time to appreciate the meaning behind the holiday.
St. Cloud offered several different opportunities to honor and remember the famous reverend that died nearly 40 years ago Monday: a silent vigil outside of the downtown Federal Building and an interfaith service at St. Mary's Cathedral.
Despite the bitter cold and biting wind, a good number of residents turned out on the corner of Eighth Avenue and St. Germain for a vigil that demonstrated King's beliefs. People were encouraged to bring signs representative of their thoughts on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and display them to pedestrians and motorists.
Most people, when thinking of King, reflect on the Civil Rights Movement and the role he played in it.
Today, however, people are realizing how he stands for something more than just racial equality issues. Peace, love, understanding and compromise were also key elements of King's belief structure.
Outside of the Federal Building, parents and children brought banners and posters that read, "Say NO to War with Iraq," "Yes to Justice, No to War" and "Create a Culture of Peace."
Before the demonstration, a short prayer about freedom was shared. For 45 minutes in the cold, people used what King stood for in the context of peace as opposed to war.
To compliment the silent vigil, an interfaith service was held in the basement of St. Mary's Cathedral with singing, speeches, poetry and representations of different faith traditions including some Native American, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i.
In the 1960s, King wanted to go beyond the boundaries of race and segregation, to grasp the love of all humanity. In the new millennium, King's sentiment is echoed.
People are encouraged to go beyond the boundaries of religion and other faith traditions.
Rosanne Fischer, a speaker on the Christian tradition and participant of the vigil, shared what King means to her in today's changing times.
"The unity he fought for is what we should all be fighting for, especially as we prepare to go to war," Fischer said. "We need to come together in our common unity, what makes us all human and fight for peace and justice."
Pastor Yolanda Lehman of Resurrection AME Zion Church reflected on King's contribution to the Civil Rights Movement and his aggressive action against racism.
Many of her words focused on the future.
Lehman said King's legacy and beliefs still have a place in society since race and inequality are still present.
"There is still much work that needs to be done," Lehman said. "His dream was fulfilled under the law but not in people's hearts...it is not enough to change the laws but the minds and ways of people as well."
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day meant something more than just an extended weekend to the participants of the silent vigil and interfaith service. It was a coming together of people from various cultures to demonstrate what King means to them and to celebrate his legacy by embracing all of humanity.
