'Let us follow that example': Peaceful change, service highlighted on MLK Day in Cohasset

COHASSET − Serving others, standing peacefully for change and rising above violence in times of revolution were remembered as crucial parts of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy on the holiday honoring his life and impact Monday.

At Cohasset's 19th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, nonprofit leader Arthur Bembury spoke to the power of peaceful and educated protest in a world of violence and harsh discourse.

When Bembury was growing up in the 1950s and '60s, he said, the Rev. King's message of universal love and non-violence was difficult to accept, especially as other Black leaders advanced competing ideas of armed resistance and separatism.

"It wasn't an easy fit for us," he said of the Rev. King's teachings. "From our lens, Martin Luther King was known as a pacifier, and we had so many other people telling us that you shouldn't turn the other cheek, you shouldn't like everybody, you shouldn't love everybody. ... We had Malcolm X. We had the Black Panther Party (saying), 'Get your guns. Fight. Defend yourselves.' And then we had Martin (saying) 'turn the other cheek.'"

Bembury recalled personal experiences that made the Rev. King's teachings hard to practice, including racism in South Boston and differing opinions in Roxbury. But in time, he said he came to embrace the Rev. King's doctrine.

"His message of hope and having a dream, and wanting everybody to be involved and love one another and care for one another, that's the feeling I get from the congregations involved in Partakers," he said.

Bembury is the executive director of Partakers, a nonprofit devoted to the educational advancement of imprisoned men and women. He was the featured guest speaker Monday at St. Anthony's Parish Hall, where clergy, civic leaders and residents gathered for the annual breakfast.

This weekend: People awed, honored by 'The Embrace' as MLK tribute sculpture unveiled in Boston

Photos: Braintree volunteers honor MLK Jr. on national day of service

Partaker volunteer Gordon Stevenson said the Rev. King would be proud of what Bembury and his organization have achieved over the last 25 years. He said the recidivism rate among graduates of the program is 2%, a fraction of the national rate of 70%.

State Rep. Joan Meschino, D-Hull, said she wants the state's university system to get involved in the program, and said she would explore the possibility.

Event organizer Connie Afshar, a member of the Cohasset Diversity Committee, said there's a misconception of a lack of diversity in the small seaside town. Afshar, who is of Iranian descent, said the town has an important Jewish community and has long participated in the METCO program, which enrolls Boston students of color in suburban schools.

Cohasset's METCO director, Aleisa Gittens-Carle, referred to the new "Embrace" sculpture on Boston Common which commemorates the relationship between the Rev. King and his wife, Coretta Scott King.

"Let us each seek to touch the lives of those whom we encounter," she said.

The Rev. Scott Euvrard, pastor of St. Anthony's Church, led the gathering in prayer.

"We express sorrow for our sins of racism," he said. "We're contrite, we give thanks for the progress that we have made in the fight against the sin of racism, and we ask you to help us to continue to make progress, to continue that fight."

Payroll: One woman among Quincy's top 100 earners in 2021; police officers dominate list

Changing times: Developer wants to build 500 apartments on South Shore Plaza property

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Cohasset celebrates Martin Luth King Jr. Day with annual breakfast event