Good afternoon, and welcome to all of you, today; and thank you for being here as we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and celebrate his life's work and teachings.
Welcome to the ABC students here today as well as the Branchville Elementary students. You know, education was very important to Dr. King. When he was at Morehouse College, he wrote, 'Education must enable one to sift and weigh evidence, to discern the true from the false, the real from the unreal, and the facts from the fiction. ...The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals." So, We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of education."
That's an important message, coming from a young man in college at the time; and it's our responsibility as ministers, teachers, and parents to instill in our children and students compassion for humanity--not only a knowledge of humanity. King said, "Ultimately a great nation is a compassionate nation." And it is for you, as students, to learn that our differences are not to be the cause of hatred and war, but our differences are to be embraced and celebrated. Martin Luther King was one of the world's greatest activists for social change, winning the Nobel Peace Prize when he was only 35-the youngest ever to receive the award. He believed deeply in nonviolence. He was willing to fight bigotry, but not fight back.
Wonder what he'd think of his national holiday as we celebrate today? For writer David Porter of the Orlando Sentinel, King's sermon in 1968, Drum Major Instinct, says it all: King said, "If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don't want a long funeral. And, if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I'd want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize; that's not important. Tell them not to mention that I have 3 or 4 hundred other awards; that's not important. I'd like somebody to mention that day, he said, that Martin Luther King, )r. tried to give his life to serving others. I'd like for somebody to say that Martin Luther King )r. tried to love somebody. I want you to say that day that I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. I did try in my life to love and serve humanity."
This year, in memory of his father's dream, Martin Luther King III has called on students across America to stand up and "Do Something." King wants students to commit to one day of kindness and justice-a day that will eventually lead to a lifetime of kindness and justice. So perhaps, today, we can all leave here inspired by Reverend Bray's words, your poems, and song, and perform a random act of kindness-in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thank you.
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