Memories of the 25th Anniversary Martin Luther King Day Community Celebration
The Rev. Christopher J. Emerson
I thought I would share with you the piece I wrote for my Daily Prompt (my blog/column/essay):
Yesterday I was pleased to attend the Martin Luther King Day Community Celebration at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in Manchester. The MLK Coalition was also celebrating its 25th year. My role was to introduce this year’s recipient of the MLK Award, Dr. Mahboubul Hassan, Founder and President of the Islamic Society of Greater Manchester, a truly fine man.
You will note that Dr. Hassan is Muslim, the first Muslim recipient of the MLK Award. I believe I was asked to introduce him, in part, because I am a Christian clergyman.
What was especially noteworthy about the day was a 10-year-old boy named Ibrahim who asked to read to the assembly a short essay about King’s legacy. A Muslim boy honoring a black Christian leader. I think this is what Dr. King was trying to get us to see and desire, a society where shared faith in God draws us into a shared commitment to human dignity for all.
I particularly enjoyed this moment: the boy was too short for the microphone on the podium. So a tall, large African American man adjusted it so the little Muslim boy could speak.
There’s an image for you. We need to make the adjustments so that everyone can speak and be heard. No matter our size, race or status, we need to make the adjustments so that everyone is included.
That moment mattered more to me than the nice speeches by the politicians or the nostalgia of the older MLK leaders. That moment illustrated how far we’ve come and, I must remember, how far we need to go.
First Congregational Church
508 Union Street
Manchester NH 03104