Impact of King, civil rights movement, discussed at King Celebration event in Gainesville

How the life and legacy of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement can be used as a blueprint for change was the topic of discussion at a town hall symposium.

Held Wednesday night at DaySpring Baptist Church in northeast Gainesville as part of local King Celebration 2023 activities, the event featured seven panelists from four generations discussing the main topic.

The town hall discussion centered around this year’s theme: “Do You Understand the Assignment? Dr. King Did.”

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"We always do what we can to make the conditions of Black folks better," said AuBroncee Martin, a member of the King Commission and past president of the Josiah T. Walls Bar Association, who served as moderator during the symposium. "That's what Martin Luther King Jr. did and that's what we're trying to do. We're in the field of breaking generational curses and to do what we must to build a legacy by taking strengths of the past and use themn to build the now."

There were four generations represented on the panel − baby boomers, Generation X, millennials and Generation Z.

Individuals born in the baby boomer generation were born between 1946 to 1964, Gen Xers were born between 1965 to 1980, millennials were born between 1981 to 2000 and Gen Zers were born between 2001 to 2020.

The panelists were John Alexander, bureau director of Public Affairs, Youth and Community Relations at the Gainesville Police Department; Sandra Cummings, a retired University of North Florida in Jacksonville administrator; Anntwanique D. Edwards, Ph.D., chief of Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement for the Alachua County School District; Makayla Flanders, this year’s Edna M. Hart Keeper of the Dream Scholarship recipient; So’Unique High, a senior at P.K. Yonge Developmental Research School; former University of Florida and Eastside High School quarterback Anthony Richardson and Philoron Wright, a retired educator from the Alachua County School district.

King Celebration 2023 events will continue with the King Commission Hall of Fame induction enshrinement of Chanae Jackson at 11 a.m. Monday at the MLK Memorial Gardens, 200 E. University Ave. in downtown Gainesville. Free shuttle bus service will be provided from Citizens Field to downtown Gainesville. For more information, visit www.martinlutherkingcommission.org.

That will be followed by the King Celebration Annual Commemorative Parade that will begin at noon at the MLK Memorial Gardens and proceed to Citizens Field, 1100 NE 14th St. Free shuttle bus service will be provided from Citizens Field to downtown. For more information, visit www.martinlutherkingcommission.org.

Wright is the son of Alachua County civil rights movement icon, the late Rev. Dr. Thomas A. Wright Sr., and Cummings was one of the first three students who integrated Gainesville High School in the mid-1960s.

“Martin Luther King was an example for my dad to carry on the work he did,” said Wright, whose father served several stints totaling 17 years as president of the local chapter of the NAACP and as pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church from 1962-2006. “His name was mentioned a lot because of our parents.”

Wright said he was present at two speeches delivered by King: one in St. Augustine in 1963 and another at Tennessee State University in 1967. He also said he marched in St. Augustine and in Gainesville during the movement.

“King was particularly concerned about making Black folks more than just second class citizens,” Wright said. “He also fought for the downtrodden.”

Cummings said she looked to Thomas A. Wright Sr. as a mentor during the civil rights movement. She said he was the one who encouraged her to integrate GHS along with his daughter, LaVon Wright Bracy.

“He brought Martin Luther King ideologies with him to Gainesville,” Cummings said. “The civil rights movement was at the forefront of the church. He (MLK) wanted better for our people in terms of us having choices. Reverend Wright wanted everything to be on equal footing.”

Cummings said if she was given the opportunity to integrate GHS again she would.

“Most definitely,” Cummings said. “We cannot afford to sit still. We must continue. We stand on great shoulders.”

Alexander and Edwards were the panelists who represented millennials and Gen Xers.

Alexander said King represented the three P’s − purpose, promise and position.

He paid his respects to a man named David Dukes of Madison, Florida, who was a civil rights leader in the city.

Alexander said Dukes encouraged him to read King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, and after reading it thoroughly, Alexander began his quest to delve deeper into the substance of King's life, legacy and guiding principles.

“For King, there was a promise of equality,” Alexander said. “His last speech wasn’t about equal rights, it was about economics. It’s about positioning ourselves as a people to not just be empowered through our voice but through our economic means. I’m hoping I found my purpose through the efforts we heard up here and through the efforts of Dr. King.”

Edwards said King and the civil rights movement shows the power of executing ideas.

“We see how we can use intellect to create strategies and see how momentum is built and how change can occur,” Edwards said.

She recalled her mother recounting dreadful memories of her days going to the movie theaters during the Jim Crow era when state, federal and local laws enforced racial segregation.

“The residue of traumas were left from those experiences,” Edwards said. “We need people in life to not be bystanders and to fight to make change so we don’t perpetuate the traumas.”

High, Flanders and Richardson were the panelists who represented Gen Zers.

High said King’s fight for equal rights impacted her to fight for equal treatment in medicine and inspired her to study in the medical field to fight the disparities Black people face.

High was diagnosed with two autoimmune diseases and said she experienced the disparities first-hand when she witnessed the medical neglect of doctors who were assigned to care for her great grandmother who died in 2020.

“I began doing research and saw devastating facts about the disparities in the medical field,” High said. “My main goal is to be a trailblazer and a light in the community as King did, creating clinics and leading the way for other healthcare professionals.”

Flanders said this generation should use King and the civil rights movement as the blueprint to create the change the people want to see in this lifetime.

“We should use King as a blueprint,” Flanders said. “Everything is happening again and we can say this isn’t new. It’s important to not lose sight of what's going on in our society. King is an example of what our generation should continue to follow.”

Richardson said it is important for people to remember their history and to use their voice when they see injustice.

“It (history) will repeat if we don’t educate ourselves,” Richardson said. “We’re not getting justice because nobody wants to say anything about it.”

Cummings suggested that churches should play a major role in this generation’s fight for social justice like churches in the civil rights movement.

“The church played an integral part in our history,” Cummings said. “The church did a lot. The church is being called on assignment again to do a lot for our young people.”

Alexander said Blacks need to come together and not turn their backs on the community.

“Now is not the time for cooling off,” Alexander said. "After the civil rights movement, some were given the opportunity to go to better schools and live in better neighborhoods. Some people left and never looked back. King never wanted us to forget where we came from.”

Rodney J. Long, president and founder of the King Commission, gave final remarks.

“There are so many issues of unfinished business,” Long said. “The reason this generation has challenges is because of the unfinished business from the previous generation. This was truly educational.”

The recording of the town hall symposium can be found on the King Commission's Facebook page and YouTube channel.

The Rev. Dr. Marie Herring, King Commission chaplain and pastor of DaySpring, closed out the symposium by reading scripture from Micah 6:8, and encouraging those in attendance to act when they see injustice.

“Do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God,” Herring said.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Symposium held in Gainesville as part of King Celebration 2023 events