Making the Dream Come True in 2012 [VIDEO]

Monday served as a day on and not a day off for many in White Plains who pledged a commitment to creating positive change in their communities in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

“Everyday as we fight for education for all, as we fight for housing for all, as we fight for food for all, and all the necessities of life—those of us who are fortunate have a responsibility and obligation to continue the good work of Dr. Martin Luther King and hope that someday all of the good people in our community will have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams,” said U.S. Congresswomen Nita Lowey.

Lowey was among the many guests who attended the 19^th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast at the . The Thomas H Slater Center offers a variety of programs for the city’s youth. Click here to learn more about the Thomas H. Slater Center. 

Many state, county and city officials attended, as well as a variety of local organizations and sponsors like ShopRite, Bethel Baptist Church, Calvary Baptist Church, Mount Hope AME Zion Church, Rotary Club of White Plains, African American Men of Westchester, Congregation Kol Ami, American Muslim Women’s Association, the NAACP, the WESPAC Foundation and more. 

The event including a beautiful praise dance by Asjea Bowry, a White Plains High School student who is a youth member of the Slater Center Board of Directors, and an inspirational poem titled “The Future,” by Keith Brunson of H.I.P. H.O.P. and member of Calvary Baptist Church.

White Plains Mayor Tom Roach explained that King would often be more frustrated by good people who never took action and waited on the sidelines rather than the racists.

“He would be writing to ministers and clergy members saying ‘what do you mean, what’s the rush?,” said Roach. “He was not afraid to speak to those people and tell them to go out and do what’s right.”

Roach said Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day should be dedicated to volunteer and performing service to give thanks for the freedoms we have and to just work a little bit harder.

In these times, it’s easy to forget to be thankful and give back.

“Our values are confused so that we buy expensive sneakers instead of books and computers,” said Robert Wynter, of Mt. Hope AME Zion Church. “The rich continue to get rich, while the poor continue to get poor. Racism is still active and alive.”

Breakfast Program Chair Andre Early, who is also a Slater Center board member, said that today’s youth must keep King’s dream alive by being grateful for what he accomplished and going out to make change in their own communities.

“All of us in this room drink from wells, which we did not dig,” said Breakfast Program Chair Andre Early, who is also a Slater Center board member. “We stand on the shoulders of those that have come before us, and sacrificed so we can be in this room today. Let’s not forget those who were on the front lines of equality and justice so we can be here.”

Keynote Speaker Richard Thomas, Mount Vernon’s youngest councilperson discussed the tremendous amount of change our generation has seen from “occupying classrooms, to occupying board rooms to occupying Wall Street…” and how that change parallels the change King’s generation went through.

“Like our grandparents many of you are unemployed because of the Great Recession—some say that history repeats itself,” said Thomas.

He encouraged those who are building tomorrow’s future to ask why not.

“That’s the same question Dr. Martin Luther King applied when he confronted the world," said Thomas. “He always asked why not. That mindset prompted Rosa Parks to not give up her seat, because she knew she deserved it and applied why not.”

Thomas said that King marched on Washington for jobs, as well as freedom for all, and he chose the Lincoln Memorial because he was making an economic point—since the emancipation proclamation “took away the wealth of the agrarian society of the south. It broke the back. That’s the reason he chose the memorial. He wanted to send a very clear message that it’s all about economics.”

Thomas says King’s dream is more relevant now than it ever was and that it shouldn't continue to be held off for issues that don’t relate to job creation or freedom.

“The moral of my story it to stop dreaming, but dare to pursue,” said Thomas. “We are in a similar position as King. We inherited a complex set of issues we must  resolve, but we must be like our grandparents—tough, resilient and with enough guts to face the challenges and seek innovative solutions.”

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