Mayor Bob Andrews welcome message
Newberg Martin Luther King Jr. Day Event
Chehalem Cultural Center
January 15, 2018 | 6 PM
“Be The Dream”
“The time is right to do what is right”
Good evening, Buenas Tardes, welcome to all and thank you for joining us this evening to honor the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to reflect upon his mission and accomplishments. I am privileged and honored, as Mayor of Newberg, to have the opportunity to say a few words about this day when we, as a nation, celebrate the life of this influential civil rights leader. A celebration that commemorates the timeless values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service. Today also marks the first time in Newberg’s history that the celebration will be conducted in both English and Spanish, and that we host a local social justice advocate Latina woman.
Over the decades, this holiday has also become a time that calls for social justice for all people. Just like tonight’s theme is “Be the Dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the civil rights movement and the people challenged this nation to live out its creed of equality and inclusiveness. Reflecting on his life, we are witness to the culmination of the leadership, sacrifice, patience, and persistence to reach a goal for all peoples; to end racial and ethnic segregation in the United States. As a result, it gave voice to the Chicano/Latino/Hispanic community, the Asian community, our indigenous peoples, women and other minorities to express their concerns, to change America dramatically. Consequently, America has been changed significantly by legislative actions that included an anti-lynching bill, a Fair Employment bill, Voting Rights Act, a Civil Rights bill and by a Supreme Court decision declaring segregation in public education unconstitutional. The work of these groups and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and their love for humanity was memorialized with the unveiling in 2011 of the Martin Luther King Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C.; the first non-President to be so honored.
The memorial not only represents Kings Jr.’s stature, it also represents the people calling for equality and justice for all. Today we honor not the statue rather the stature of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As the nation regresses on such civil rights achievements and we enter an era of relapse, a new generation has risen to challenge our nation to live out the true meaning of the creed…that all people are created equal: like Dr. King famously said in his 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. The immortalized legacy of love that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave us seems to have vanished. Whether you look at a glass as half full or half empty, the point is, the glass is refillable. Refillable with the strength of love that more than ever continues to be the resource that will help us move forward in a new chapter of U.S. History. Loving ourselves, loving our neighbors, loving what make us unique, loving what each of us can bring to the table is what will propel us forward; what adds to the glass.
Today’s movements like the BLACK LIVES MATTER and the DREAMERS are striving for a just society where people are seen for their character, not the color of their skin or their ethnic origin, and not for their immigration status.
Tonight, you will learn more about the DREAMERS movement from the keynote speaker, Ines Peña, and how it all relates to the civil rights movement that Dr. King was a part of. Listen carefully and then make your own decision as we all need to be aware of what goes on and take ownership because, like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said:
“A denial of justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality; tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
Thus, it is important for us in Newberg to celebrate this Holiday so that all generations do not forget the dream that Dr. King so eloquently stated on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We also need to dedicate ourselves at every chance we get, to open conversations, to engage and participate in the continued planting and watering the seeds of love so that we do not forget the people’s struggles and the price that Dr. King paid and that others continue to pay. I encourage all citizens of Newberg to carry forward and to work hand in hand for a society that will be accepting of ALL people irrespective of race, color, religion, gender or immigration status. We have entered a time when achieving this dream can only be accomplished by love and action. We still have a long way to go.
Tonight, I challenge you to “Be the Dream,” to embrace it, to take action and to live the dream. Thank you all for being here tonight and for being part of the celebration of the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
