Honoring the Dream: MLK Unity Walk

“We are here celebrating the unity of our community,” said Beverly Kelly, Pickens Presbyterian Church parish associate, at the start of the annual MLK Day Unity Walk celebration.

After enjoying a special breakfast, marchers set out from Pickens Presbyterian Church and, with many of them waving inspirational signs, walked to the Pickens County Courthouse for a special program.

“Thank you, Martin, for the legacy and for the footprints that you have left us,” Bruce Ranson said. “Here we are, black and white, joined together on the steps of the courthouse in this place, Pickens County, South Carolina.”

2013 marks the seventh year the Unity Walk has been held, Ranson said.

“I think this is the work of the Holy Spirit, in the beginning and through the years,” he said.

During the ceremony, Pickens Mayor David Owens presented Pickens City Councilmen Fletcher Perry, Carlton Holley and Isaiah Scipio with “I Fan the Flame” Awards, given by the city and the Pickens Revitalization Association to recognize people for their contributions to the City of Pickens.

The recipients are reflections of King's dream, Owens said.

“What better way to honor Martin Luther King, the things he fought for, the things he died for, (he) preached, marched, was for equal rights for everyone,” Owens said. “That everyone could run for city council. That everyone could be. That anyone that wanted to be could run for President of the United States.

“That's why we're here today … other people have done things to keep that going,” Owens said. “I've known all three of this people for a long time. They do a lot for their families, they do a lot for their church, and I know they do a lot for their community, and they certainly do a lot for the City of Pickens.”

The day, which coincided with the 2^nd inauguration of President Barack Obama, was a reminder of how far the country has come and how far we have left to go, Kelly said.

“Today, we are reminded that there have been some of us that have been marching, that have been working, that have been praying, been encouraged, been frustrated, for a very long time,” she said. “We are reminded today that our work is not yet done. There's still things to do.”

Kelly remembered the first time she attended the event, she noticed police at the event looking out toward the street, not at the speakers.

She thanked one of the police officers for their presence, and he replied, “Oh, yes, you never can tell what the crazies will do.”

“I had not thought of the crazies,” Kelly recalled. “We still have some work today.”

She thanked law enforcement for their help in putting on the event.

Sheriff Rick Clark said it was “tremendous” to see a crowd comprised of “all different races, colors, ethnic backgrounds, socioeconomic strata.”

“We're here today for one message – and that's unity,” he said. “It shows we can come together and solve our community problems, and that's what we're going to do.”

He said the fight today is different than the one fought in the 1960s.

“I think we're in a fight of good vs. evil, and that's something we can fight together,” Clark said. “It's not black versus white, or African-American vs. white, or Hispanics. It's not women versus men. It's good versus evil.”

He urged good people to speak up.

“We have an appalling silence of good people all across this country,” he said. “We're not going to let that happen in Pickens County. Dr. King said, 'He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps perpetuate it.' It's time we stood as law enforcement and community together against evil.”

The crowd enjoyed inspirational songs, including many from the civil rights era, sung by the choirs of Pickens Presbyetrian Church and Griffin Ebenezer Baptist Church, and a sermon by Rev. Carl Almond of Mt. Nebo Baptist Church.

His message told of the great things – such as the walls of Jericho falling down- that happen when people speak out.

“We've come in a time and a day in our society … that evil is all around us,” he said. “It's at every door, it's in every street. We have to begin to speak and we must do it in one voice.”

Ranson said King was “good listener.”

“He listened for the Holy Spirit, he listened to the people and he acted in word and deed – the Holy Spirit at work,” Ranson said.

Retired minister Rev. C.L. Cruell read King's famous, “I Have A Dream” speech, the inspiring words ringing out in the courtyard.

“One cannot hear that speech too many times,” Kelly said. “You were all listening as if hearing it for the first time. Even though the person that wrote those words is gone, we still have those words. The words are still powerful, and that what makes it timeless.”

Afterwards, marchers walk to Griffin Ebenezer Baptist Church for a special luncheon.