Tag Archive for: #drmartinlutherking

TownTalk: Reflections On Dr. Martin Luther King

Monday’s TownTalk segment includes reflections from area pastors in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Please listen back to hear these reflections in their entirety.

 

The Rev. Joseph Ratliff, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, said he views the MLK holiday “not simply about a single man, but…the struggle of Black people for generations. Today, Ratliff said, Black Americans can vote, get elected and sit anywhere they choose on public transportation – “things our grandparents and great-grandparents only dreamt of.”

Because of the continued support from so many, Ratliff said, “we now have a brighter day – there are all kinds of opportunities in front of us.”

He called King the dreamer of the dream that Blacks would no longer be considered second-class citizens, a vision that provided hope to an entire nation.

“Our action – or inaction – determines our future,” Ratliff said. “Dream with me – we can make a difference. Be the somebody that Christ has made you.”

The pastor of Clearview Church, Dr. Abidan Shah, arrived in the U.S. as a teenager and quickly realized that “every citizen had the opportunity to achieve, through hard work, determination and initiative.”

He called King one of the most influential Christians in history, and laid down the challenge to revisit King’s vision of equality for all – that vision that says people should not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the strength of their character.

 

Dr. Ron Cava, senior minister at First Baptist Church, said he is a little too young to have first-hand knowledge about King and his ministry, but said what he has learned about King confirms the idea that he was not only a prophet but a great preacher.

King’s ministry, like the Gospels in the Bible, charge believers to love our neighbors as ourselves, Cava explained, “regardless of race or gender or a multitude of factors that divide us.”

The time is now “to let freedom ring and… justice roll down like a mighty torrent,” Cava said.

 

Elder Gloria Ragland delivers the “Walking in the Word” program on WIZS on Sunday mornings said if King were alive today, she believes he’d look approvingly on accomplishments, “but we still haven’t gone far enough yet – my dream is bigger than this (because) we still have racism, hate and discrimination.”

“I believe he would also say ‘God is love,’” she added.

“We have come a mighty long way,” Ragland said. “It’s time for us to love one another, show respect for one another,” she said.

We are all part of God’s creation, Ragland said. “We should be able to get along, to work together…it shouldn’t be about differences, but we are one with God.”

She said she believes that God wants all of his children to get along and to prosper.
“You can’t make it to heaven with hate” in your heart, she said.

 

CLICK PLAY!

 

Perry Library to Feature ‘Dramatic & Moving’ Black History Month Presentation

Amanda Yetter, Youth Services Librarian at Perry Memorial Library in downtown Henderson, was on Tuesday’s edition of WIZS’ Town Talk program to discuss the library’s upcoming Black History Month presentation on Monday, February 18, 2019, at 4:30 p.m.

The presentation, titled “Struggle for Freedom: The Life of Dr. King” will be held in the library’s Farm Bureau Room and will be performed by the Asheville-based Bright Star Touring Theatre.

According to Yetter, “Struggle for Freedom” is a 45-minute production that seeks to honor the American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. The life and work of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. provide the backdrop to scenes that recreate the Montgomery bus boycott, the march on Washington, the Woolworth sit-ins and much more.

With excerpts from famous speeches, Civil Rights era songs and a variety of characters, this production has been hailed as one of ‘the finest touring shows available for young audiences.”

The moving performance will demonstrate that the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is one of both triumph and tragedy, said Yetter. “In this dramatic show, audiences come to see that the rights won during the American Civil Rights Movement came with a heavy price.”

The show is free of charge and is recommended for ages 8 through adult.

For more information, or to view the variety of programs and services offered by Perry Memorial Library, please click here.

To hear the Town Talk interview with Amanda Yetter in its entirety, please click here.