Speakers call for renewed fight for equality, freedom at 40th MLK Day of Service

ELYRIA — Residents who marched and gathered to celebrate the life and work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday were told that it was their duty to remember their history and to continue to fight for progress. It was Elyria's 40th annual Ruby Red Day of Service in honor of the civil rights leader, and its customary march from Ely Square to the Elyria High School Performing Arts Center went on through whipping snow and frigid temperatures. The crowd was not cold for long upon its arrival, as keynote speaker the Rev. Thomas Bowen brought them to their feet in both prayer and excitement as he called on them to continue the fight for the dream that King died in the pursuit of. "We celebrate (King) not as a statue, not as a holiday, not as a sound bite, but as a person who disturbed the peace, so that justice could have a chance," he said. "And friends, if we are honest this morning, we need that spirit again, because these are heavy times. People are weary, democracy feels fragile, truth feels negotiable, racism has learned to whisper again instead of shout, we have got politicians who trade fear for votes. … These are heavy seasons, but hear me, heavy seasons don't cancel purpose, they reveal it." Bowen is a minister at Shiloh Baptist Church Washington, D.C., one of the oldest Black congregations in the country, and previously served as a senior adviser on public engagement under the administration of former President Joe Biden. An Elyria native, Bowen said that coming back to Elyria gave him hope for a future of equality and prosperity. He cited several Black women in local positions of power as drivers of that hope, including Elyria High School Principal Jodie Johnson, Oberlin Municipal Judge Farah Emeka and Elyria City Council President Donna Mitchell, all of whom are the first Black women to serve in their posts. He recalled speaking at Elyria's MLK Day observance more than 30 years earlier, when he delivered a speech titled "Someday We Will Be Free." "I was hopeful. I thought 'someday' meant 'soon,'" Bowen said. "I thought someday meant the next election, the next law, the next courtroom. But here we are, 30 years later, having to fight the same 'umm' all over again. Someday is not a date, someday is a decision. Someday is built brick by brick, vote by vote, child by child, conversation by conversation. Freedom is not delivered, freedom is developed." Elyria Mayor Kevin Brubaker said that while the country had come far since the Civil Rights Movement that King led, much work still needed to be done and, he added, he was not sure that work was still being done nationally. "This is where I am going to go off script and my staff are probably not happy with me; but I don't know that we are making progress right now," Brubaker said. "The things that are going on in our country are not progress, it is digress. This is not what Dr. King marched for, it is not what Dr. King spoke about, and until we make those changes we will continue to digress." The Martin Luther King Holiday Commission puts on the Ruby Red Day of Service, and every year it gives out awards to people in and around Elyria who the committee feels embodies King's commitment to freedom and equality. The Cultural Award went to P2R Training and Resource Center Inc, the Education Award went to Elyria Schools Home Counselor Troy Hill, Family Planning Services of Lorain County and its Executive Director Tammy Bertrand were granted the Health Equity Award, Monique West of Raise Up took the Social Justice Award and the Youth Leadership Award went to Elyria senior Dekarion Wimberly. Wimberly also won the Holiday Commission's annual essay contest, and he had asked for a chance to speak near the end of the program. He called on everyone, but particularly young people like himself, to not abdicate their right to vote whenever possible. "To my young folks, to people not registered to vote, to the people who feel like their vote doesn't matter; you have got to think about the homeless people out there in the cold because their job doesn't pay them enough," Wimberly said. "You have got to think of the kids who can only come to school to eat. You have got to think about people other than yourself. Because there are people who are counting on us and depending on us to keep the doors to democracy open, equitable and healthy. And if we don't use the key, the door will remain shut forever." Regan Phillips, chairwoman of the Holiday Commission, closed the ceremony by reminding attendees that they were capable of driving the same kind of change that King and his contemporaries did. "The MLK Day of Service focuses on the universal ability to help, love and uplift humanity," Phillips said. "We use phrases like 'Everybody can be brave' and "Everyone can serve,' and you can. You have to ask yourself, what are you doing for others? I often say if I can help somebody as I pass along, and if I can cheer somebody with a word or song, then my living is not in vain. Please be committed to serving and know that you can move today's mountains someday. Because we will not let them rewrite our story, and (we) know that truth is not dangerous. Keep standing, and if you believe in democracy, vote." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.