Yesterday afternoon I was one of 1,200 to 2,000 people ( AP on the low end and the NY Times on the high end) who assembled at the Riverside Church in Manhattan for a special occasion. We came from different religious backgrounds, class backgrounds and ethnic backgrounds; yet all of us came together for a common purpose.
Our purpose was to remember Dr. King, to celebrate his legacy and to realize the dream that the great Reverend so eloquently told us about with his "I Have A Dream" speech and numerous sermons through the years. Yesterday the congregation was treated to an incredible procession of the great orators of our day. The messages of hope, remembrance and a call to service had the whole congregation on their feet.
If you haven't been inside Riverside Church before, I highly recommend it. To say the edifice is impressive would be an understatement. Words cannot describe it, so I suggest you check out the pictures here.
Here's one I took:
After the prelude music by the Riverside Choir, we were treated to video excerpts of Dr. King. Then the lights went up and his son Martin Luther King III welcomed the congregation, meanwhile John and Elizabeth Edwards walked in to take their seats.
Rabbi Sarah Reines of the Central Synagogue provided the reading, co-founder of the Drum Major Institute William Wachtel gave his remarks and then the awe-inspiring Rev. Dr. James Forbes came up and delivered a powerful address. After a gospel solo Martin Luther King III came out and introduced the keynote speaker, Senator and Presidential candidate John Edwards. I would elaborate more on all of the speakers, though each one deserves post of their own.
Rev. Forbes
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Senator Edwards' speech was nothing short of spectacular. Many of you have either seen the webcast or read excerpts of the text.
The energy in the nave of Riverside Church was simply awesome.
“If you are in Congress and you know this war is going in the wrong direction, it is no longer enough to study your options,”
Although this speech was webcasted and/or televised, both Senator Schumer and Congressman Weiner sat in the front section and heard these words loud and clear. It is up to them and the rest of the Congress to take heed of this sound advice.
“I believe it is betrayal not to speak out against an escalation of the war in Iraq,” Mr. Edwards said, to a standing ovation.
That little snippet resulted in a three minute standing ovation. Even the NY Times noted it. Though the beginning of the speech was what really got to me.
Forty years ago, almost to the month, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood at this pulpit, in this house of God, and with the full force of his conscience, his principles and his love of peace, denounced the war in Vietnam, calling it a tragedy that threatened to drag our nation down to dust.
As he put it then, there comes a time when silence is a betrayal -- not only of one's personal convictions, or even of one's country alone, but also of our deeper obligations to one another and to the brotherhood of man.
Echoing what King said and the times in which he said it made the comparison of Iraq and Vietnam crystal clear. Silence while the cruel sting of reality punctures our nation is truly a betrayal to the principles that our country was founded on. An active citizenry will hold the government accountable for its actions alongside a vigilant press. Unfortunately we don't have much of either currently but that can change. We have it in us to make that change.
John F. Kennedy once said:
Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.
His words of wisdom ring true to this day and every day beyond. It is imperative to remember that each day we can strive to do our best to make the world a better place, if only a small amount at a time.
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After Edwards left the pulpit to a standing ovation, thirteen year old Joshua Govnor McVay-Bennett read Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech. Though reading wasn't necessary since the high school student memorized it when he was eight. Following him was Marian Wright Edelman of Children's Defense Fund. She spoke about the state of health care and poverty and that it is a crime for millions of children to not have health insurance.
The last speaker was Imam Al-Hajj Talib 'Abdur-Rashid' from the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood in Harlem. He referenced the tale of Rip Van Winkle and how the character slept through the American Revolution. He warned the audience that there is a 'triple-revolution' going on in this country right now. One part is the advances in technology, one in the advancement of warfare capabilities and the human rights revolution that is occuring all over the globe. He stated that we must not sleep through this era and let it go by just as Rip Van Winkle had.
After a quick, but powerful closing remark by Martin Luther King III, dozens of brightly colored robed choirpeople came up to the front while Dr. Forbes went to the secondary pulpit high above the stage. He finished with inspiring words of wisdom that encouraged us to work for a better world.
At the end of the service, everyone held hands and sang 'We Shall Overcome.' It did not matter if we were a Senator, Congressman, Pastor, Christian, Jew, Muslim, poor, wealthy, black, white, yellow, blue or green; we sang as one. It was a true representation of what John Edwards calls 'One America.'
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