MANSFIELD, Ohio–On Aug. 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech to tens of thousands of people in Washington D.C. And on Jan. 19, 2015, Reverend Thomas Hunt of Providence Baptist Church asked people at First United Methodist Church in Mansfield how the nation “measures up” to the dream.
Although the nation has come a long way since that speech was delivered, he said, if he were to grade the nation’s progress, “We are barely passing…And that may be generous,” he said.
“Even though we have progressed in many ways, the changes are still way too slow,” he said.
He continued, “The dream speech dealt with many discrepancies of humanity facing our nation. Such discrepancies would include the lack of proper housing that we see in our communities and our cities. We lack in education opportunities as it comes to our public school systems.”
“Even though there is less discrimination when it comes to employing people of color, we still have that interior, unspoken racism that stills goes on in employment places.”
“We still have work to do,” he concluded.
Hunt’s keynote address was part of the second annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Celebration that was held Monday.
Prior to his speech, participants gathered at Central Park in downtown Mansfield, near the Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial. There, Reverend Kent Joy of First United Methodist Church welcomed bystanders and led the group in a time of prayer.
Following Joy’s prayer, Amber Hunt of Providence Baptist Church led people in the singing of “We Shall Overcome.” Together they sang the classic hymn as they marched from Central Park to First United Methodist Church, where the memorial service continued.
A performance by The Ohio State University at Mansfield Choir greeted people as they filed into the church and to their seats. Then Betty Dunn, who serves on the MLK Memorial Committee, provided some history about the MLK memorial in Central Park, noting that it was dedicated on June 15, 2007. She said, “The memorial was built in the hopes of trying to tie together members of society here in Mansfield.”
She also recollected some of her treasured memories of Dr. King. She said that he would often visit Mansfield to meet with his uncle, Reverend Joel King, who was the pastor of a church in Mansfield.
“I would often brag that I had one of the best seats in the house when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Mansfield because I was a member of the junior choir and so all I had to do was look over to my left and there I’d see the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King,” she said with a smile.
Mansfield Mayor Tim Theaker read a proclamation that declared Jan. 19 as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the City of Mansfield. And several youth participated in the event through readings, dances and songs.
This all prefaced Hunt’s keynote address, which focused on the theme of “aligning ourselves to the dream.”
Although he mentioned early is his speech that the nation still has a ways to go before King’s dream becomes a reality, he gave the audience some advice on how that can be achieved.
“If we are to make progress as a people to align with the dream, we must do it together. We can’t do it alone and we cannot just go and dictate it. Together we must remove the barriers that divide,” he exclaimed.
Shouts of “Amen” rang out in the crowd as Hunt spoke.
“Are you ready to take on that task of joining hands and doing it together, saying that we shall overcome this obstacle together,” he asked. “Let us see the growth begin. Let Mansfield, in the words of my previous pastor, let Mansfield once again become ‘God’s field.'”
“If we are to make progress as a people to align with the dream, we must do it together. We can’t do it alone and we cannot just go and dictate it. Together we must remove the barriers that divide,” exclaimed Rev. Thomas Hunt.
