Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. legacy remembered with song, words as annual breakfast resumes

The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was remembered on Monday with music, dance and words in what marked the return of the annual in-person breakfast celebration of the civil rights leader following the pandemic.

Billed as the largest event of its kind, the nearly four-hour event at the Greater Columbus Convention Center drew a diverse crowd of more than 1,500 people, including religious leaders, politicians, business leaders and students who remembered the birthday of the slain civil rights icon and his messages of peace and love.

"Why honor King? Because our nation's founding ideals of liberty and equality were false when they were first written," said Lawrence Carter, a professor of religion, college archivist and curator at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where King also graduated. "Black America fought to make them true. Without this struggle, America would have no democracy at all."

Carter, who was raised in Columbus, also is the dean of the Martin Luther King International Chapel at the Atlanta institution.

"As we honor Martin Luther King Jr. today, we affirm democracy, responsible freedom, valuing diversity and realizing everybody’s great spiritual magnitude," Carter said.

Carter said the slain civil right leader who died in 1968 "lovingly gave his life to make democracy true, just and decent" and always chose love and peace over violence and hate.

He believed in diversity, plurality, interracial marriage, government programs that helped people, gay rights and women's rights, Carter said. His legacy is civil rights and fair housing legislation, and he was the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

His approach of love and peace became models used to advance women's rights, gay rights and the environmental movement, Carter said.

Once in 1962, a self-proclaimed Nazi went on stage where King was speaking and punched King in the face, Carter said. He refused to press charges.

“King made no move to strike back or turn away," Carter said. "Instead, he looked at his assailant and spoke to him calmly."

Throughout his travels, King was booed, jailed, accused of crimes, egged, choked and attacked, Carter said. The FBI hounded him, bugging his telephone and his hotel, spread gossip about him and tried to get him to kill himself.

King had plenty of reasons to hate or be bitter, but he refused, Carter said.

"King did not have enemies," Carter said. "He had misguided friends."

Even after all that he suffered, "he never lost faith in America," Carter said.

The breakfast organized by the Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast Committee represented a bit of a reunion after the last in-person event was held in 2020.

Those in attendance hugged friends and shook hands, and listened to a message that they say continues to resonant.

"It's a pleasure to be back in person," said Anton Johnson, 31, of Columbus. "There's a sense of community."

The event included performances by the Columbus Children Choir, Nia Performing Ensemble and CDance Company for the Arts as well as numerous speeches.

The breakfast was one of several events scheduled to honor King on the holiday named for him, including the third annual MLK March in Linden Monday afternoon and a march at City Hall slotted for Monday evening.

The two-hour march in Linden drew about 200 people who started at Good Shepherd Baptist Church at 1555 E. Hudson St. and walked to the Cleveland and 11th Avenues.

mawilliams@dispatch.com

@BizMarkWilliams

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Music, dance help celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.