Remembering the Dreamer: Residents remember MLK

Apr. 6—VALDOSTA — A memorial observance celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. was held Monday at the MLK Memorial Park.

The annual event is hosted by the Valdosta-Lowndes County Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Association Committee. The event was held to remember the life and legacy of King in an effort to keep his dream alive.

Beverley R. Blake, event chairperson, said, "We celebrate, we remember, and we think about the dreamer, who's dream lives on through us."

This year marked the 55th year after the death of MLK.

King's life was cut short by an assassin's bullet on April 4, 1968. He was 39 years old.

Minister Jimmy Boyd, Christian Love Ministries, served as the guest speaker for the memorial program.

Boyd said, "We are the salt of the world, our purpose is to make a difference."

"Martin said he wanted to remind us of the fierce urgency of now," Boyd said. "You know when it is time for us to make a difference in our community? Right now."

He closed his speech by quoting from King's famous, "I have a dream" speech:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today."

Music was provided by the Valdosta Early College Academy Chorus.

Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts and its Young Writers League Art of Writing contest winners Khalandrea Council, Zonique Scott and Hope Emanuel performed their award-winning pieces.