In the News
County MLK holiday a dream come true
King's daughter to speak during week of events
Posted Monday, August 15, 2005 - 6:00 am
By Ben Szobody
STAFF WRITER
bszobody@greenvillenews.com
Ten months after a deafening crowd roared its approval of a county-ratified Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, Greenville community leaders are staging a six-day inauguration aimed at honoring minority leaders, helping children and creating new jobs.
Included is a banquet where the daughter of the late civil rights leader, Dr. Bernice King, will speak. Also planned are employment, health and economic events hosted by the new "MLK Dream Weekend" Jan. 13-15 and designed to emphasize King's themes of empowerment.
Curtis Johnson, a Pelzer pastor and founder of the new group, said Thursday that the aim is for Greenville to shed "the negative imagery of our past."
Church and business leaders behind the new organization say they want to augment what is already a full schedule of events involving the Urban League of the Upstate, the Phillis Wheatley Center, the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition and other groups. A full listing can be found at www.mlkdreamweekend.com.
Dr. Glen Halva-Neubauer, a political science professor at Furman University, said the years-long holiday holdout by County Council that brought national attention and generated huge protests involving civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, a Greenville native, has made the county a civil rights landmark in the eyes of some.
The specter of businesses avoiding the county and jobs going elsewhere made it possible that every resident was affected by the lack of a holiday for county employees, though Halva-Neubauer notes those threats were never quantified.
Jackson said Thursday that the right way to celebrate King's birthday is the way King did it -- working on the specific issue of "shared economic security." Jackson said he spent a birthday with King in a church basement and initially didn't know it was his birthday.
Though eventually there was a cake and a song, Jackson said local celebrants should take a cue from King, who didn't take the day off but spent it facing inequality in employment, wages and living standards.
Three days before the Jan. 16 holiday, Dream Weekend organizers will host a "diversity banquet" at the Embassy Suites hotel where attendees will hear a "multicultural mass choir" and hear King speak for an admission fee of $35 or $325 for a 10-person table. Local pastor Phillip Baldwin, who is among the weekend's organizers, said about 30 tables have been reserved so far, with a total banquet capacity of about 800.
The banquet will honor players in the push for a dedicated county holiday -- the last in the state -- including the local chapters of Rainbow/PUSH and the NAACP, County Council and two unnamed honorees for a Rosa Parks award.
Saturday is "empowerment day" at Greenville Technical College's McAlister Square, where Urban League instruction for both children and adults will focus on money management, business basics and consumer strategies. A blood drive and health fair will follow, and Greenville Tech will also hold a job fair.
Curtis Harkness, an associate vice president at Greenville Tech, said firms in industries, such as telecommunications, medical and insurance businesses will offer openings ranging from entry-level positions to management. Both permanent and seasonal jobs for teens also will be available, he said.
Harkness said the celebration aims to be useful, taking aim at economic problems common to minorities.
"This event is not an African-American event," said local pastor Andrew Wittman, a steering committee member. "This county, we're finally at a point where we can honor the dream."
Other weekend events include Furman University's Upstate College Fair on Saturday and Bethlehem Baptist Church's MLK Memorial Worship Service to honor Jackson on Sunday.
Mount Moriah Baptist Church will hold its own MLK worship service, also with Jackson.
The Phillis Wheatley Repertory Theater will hold an MLK Scholarship Gala at the Hyatt Regency hotel, and the Phillis Wheatley Center will hold a Martin Luther King Soccer Fun Day, both on Monday.
An array of events by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, including a luncheon, ball, pageant and basketball games, have been scheduled at the Allen Temple Community Development Center and other locations.
Furman plans its own MLK worship service on Tuesday, a Martin Luther King Celebration on Wednesday and additional events.
Beth Israel synagogue at 425 Summit Drive in Greenville also will hold "a Very Special Shabbat Evening Service to honor King's the life and legacy on Friday, Jan. 13 at 8:15 p.m. The Rev. Baxter Wynn of Greenville First Baptist will be the guest speaker. "It's hard to help the individual and not help the community," he said.
Staff writer Ron Barnett contributed to this report.