Abilene MLK Day March delivers messages of hope, forgiveness to a diverse group

Ronald W. Erdrich, Abilene Reporter-News
·2 min read

There’s always a stray dog or two who show up each year when Abilenians gather for the Martin Luther King Jr Day March. Folks mostly ignore them or give them a scratch behind the ears before starting the procession.

This year, they served as a metaphor.

“You know, we got two dogs here. We’ve got a dog that's fat, and we got a dog that's kind of skinny and hungry,” said Sam Cook.

Sam Cook, a professor of music at Abilene Christian University, high-fives the crowd as he delivers an impromptu message of feeding hope over negativity prior to Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. March in Abilene.
Sam Cook, a professor of music at Abilene Christian University, high-fives the crowd as he delivers an impromptu message of feeding hope over negativity prior to Monday’s Martin Luther King Jr. March in Abilene.

He wasn’t an official speaker, but just one of a handful who volunteered to address the crowd of around 100 in the parking lot at Woodson Center for Excellence. The group would soon turn to march down Cockerell Drive, turn west on U.S. Highway 80 East to cross the Martin Luther King Jr Bridge and then return to Woodson the same way. Started by Claudie Royals in 1987, this was the 38th annual march.

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“But the dog that you feed the most is the one that's going to get bigger, and the one that needs to be fed right now is a dog that's hungry for hope, is hungry for love,” Cook continued. “The dog that's been fed the most lately, that's bigger, has feasted on hate and fear and prejudice, negativity.

“We need to feed the dog that needs to be fed hope.”

Michael T. Royals opens the Martin Luther King Jr Day March Monday at Woodson Center for Excellence. Michael’s father, Claudie, started the march in 1987, which numbered four people that first year.
Michael T. Royals opens the Martin Luther King Jr Day March Monday at Woodson Center for Excellence. Michael’s father, Claudie, started the march in 1987, which numbered four people that first year.

Later, Cook was asked if he was a preacher. No, he replied, just a professor at Abilene Christian University.

Same skillset, one might argue.

“Hope, love, joy, forgiveness and grace. That's what our world needs. You all, let's feed the hungry dog in our relationships with each other,” Cook said. “If you concentrate and focus on all of the negativity and things that someone is doing to you, you're feeding the fat dog of negativity.”

Abilene Christian University football players Leighton Adams (left) and Brelon Badon carry the banner honoring late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. during Monday’s annual march across the bridge named in his honor. Around 100 people marched more than a mile in the 35-degree weather.
Abilene Christian University football players Leighton Adams (left) and Brelon Badon carry the banner honoring late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. during Monday’s annual march across the bridge named in his honor. Around 100 people marched more than a mile in the 35-degree weather.

The two dogs still weaved through the crowd, happy faces at one end and wagging tails at the other. Oblivious of their impromptu inspiration for Cook in the gathering, their breath fogged like everyone else’s in the chill of the near-freezing afternoon.

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“But if you are in turn feeding the dog of forgiveness, the dog that's hungry for grace?” Cook finished. “That dog is gonna get bigger. It will instill within you a sense of hope and not give in to the fat dog.”

(This story was updated to add a video.)

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This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Abilene MLK Day March delivers messages of hope, forgiveness