Reverend France Davis of the Calvary Baptist Church spoke in the House chamber this morning. He was representing the Martin Luther King Commission for the State of Utah, which was established by the legislature. I could have listened to him for a good while longer than he spoke this morning. His passion was inspiring and made me wish I attended his congregation each Sunday. I typed much of his talk on my laptop as he was speaking and I’ll share some of the highlights below.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of my mentors. I was with him on the march from Selma to Montgomery and when he gave his speech in Washington. That all started the modern civil rights movement. But, the original civil rights movement began with the Bill of Rights, then the Emancipation Proclamation built upon that. Martin Luther King led the massive nonviolent crowd to achieve rights for all people living in the United States. He was a drum major for justice. He started a mass grass roots organization demanding the attention of the world and pricking the conscience of every individual with a sense of decency. Some called him a communist, a socialist, but he was a man with a vision and a dream about a country that could reach it’s fullest potential.
It is midnight. It is midnight in terms of our struggle and it is time for us all to decide if we are going to wake up in the morning to a better world or not. Just like others who have been oppressed, victims of injustice or wars. Martin Luther King would be pressing for changes to take our swords and turn them into plows, to let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
Martin Luther King became the voice for the voiceless. Is there one in this body who can be the voice for the voiceless? Is there one among us this morning who can be the face of change? Is there one who will be the hope for a brighter future for our children? Even when you kill the dreamer the dream lives on. We are still dreaming for a better world. We can stand up on behalf of those who cannot stand.
Langston Hughes once said, ‘Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is like a broken winged bird that just cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow.’
The Martin Luther King Commission of Utah is alive and well. Our goal is to trump the unrealized hopes of others. To do the work of service for the people. Come along side of us and together we can turn this world into what it ought to be.”
