On Monday, January 16th, the 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade culminated in a community service & celebration program at the Elm Street Church of God. The program was sponsored by the NAACP of Bulloch County and was free to the public. The celebration highlighted the key points of Dr. King’s legacy, work, and ministry.
Following the conclusion of the parade, citizens gathered for a post-parade community message. The program included congregational hymns and impassioned speeches. The service began promptly with popular praise and worship anthems being performed by local church choir “United Voices for Christ.” After the hymns finished, greetings were given by multiple NAACP cabinet members and town officials. Among the town officials was Mayor Jonathan McCollar.
In McCollar’s address to the audience, he implored African American listeners to continue the fight towards racial equality and advancement. He expressed that minority residents continue to organize and show their faces in spaces that they are not expected to be in. And in looking towards the local progress to be made in the future, McCollar emphasized his point with a celebrated Dr. King quote:
“Let us march, show our face, and stay prayed up. Because without God we are nothing and will inevitably fall.”
The highlighted speaker of the event was Reverend Christopher Culbreth. He spoke on the imperativeness of how Dr. King’s ethics of love and justice remain as the guiding principles for the work towards racial equality. Furthermore, Culbreth spoke on how Dr. King’s doctrine of love and friendship are only most effective when paired with equality and justice. In short, it is only when all these principles are coiled together, will a town have a strong community.
Culbreth stated, "For us to build up strong communities of love, justice, and friendship, we must honor Dr. King’s principles. And furthermore, community members must not only love each other but trust each other as well.”
Dr. King leaves behind an unprecedented legacy. He is a social justice icon whose speeches and sermons yet stand the test of time. His legacy’s work from the civil rights movement is seen in the hundreds upon hundreds of mobilized African American communities around America.
His lasting impact on world culture can be seen in every human being who dares to take a stand against racial inequality and injustice around the world. The event’s program pamphlet said it best that Dr. King was “a changemaker working to help the Black community thrive.” May we all continue to uphold the legacy of Dr. King by serving others in love and truth, while continuing to stand up for what is right.
For more information on the NAACP Bulloch County Chapter, please call (912) 839-4416.
