Life of Martin Luther King celebrated

TORRINGTON —  The life of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was celebrated at a memorial breakfast held at the Workman Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church on Saturday, Jan. 17.

King was shot and killed in 1968 at the age of 39.

A bill to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday was signed by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, and the holiday was first observed in 1986.

It was formally observed by all 50 states in 2000.

The holiday is observed on the third Monday of January, which is near the time of King’s birthday of Jan. 15, 1929.

The breakfast, which included lectures and several musical performances, was organized by The Brotherhood of Diversity.

The master of ceremonies for the event was Wilbert Boles.

“We would like to get people together, especially members of the community,” Boles said. “When people come together, different races, that’s the main thing of the race thing. When people come together for one common cause and are not separate.”

Boles said race relations and society have gotten much better since King’s time.

“We still have a long way to go,” Boles said. “If he saw today’s society, he would probably freak out. If he was still here today things would be a lot better, especially with the youth. The youth of today have gone wild through drugs and violence. The one lesson King could teach us if he was still around today is love. Show people how to love each other. Unity.”

Group member Chris Zarzycki said he agrees with Boles.

“I think he is a focal point for the whole civil rights movement,” Zarzycki said. “He is the focal point. The more I read and learn about him, I realize he was the driving force. That’s why it’s important we should honor him and other people who were part of the civil rights movement.”

Zarzycki said that King’s lesson of non-violence should be applied more in today’s society.

“Violence begets more violence,” he said. “If you can back off and see and understand people, listen, communicate with them and talk to them instead of getting mad and angry. You have to use passion to get things done, but in the end we are all the same people.”

“Martin Luther King taught us to work together,” the Rev. Sowatei Lomotey said. “He tried to bring all of the races together and stand up for justice for all. We are very encouraged by his legacy.”

Lomotey said it is important to continue King’s work.

“Certainly there are many other people who worked with him,” he said. “They are all equally admired, just like he is. We have learned from that frame of mind that, although the road is still difficult, we shall overcome as time goes on. We are never deterred by the obstacles that we face here today.”

Lomotey said King would look at today’s society as a “mixed bag.”

“He would be delighted to see a black president,” he said. “At the same time he would be discouraged that injustices still prevail in today’s society, including terrorism and the way the police have treated the black community. Those things are very discouraging. When you put out fire, there are still embers to deal with, but we are hopeful.”

More than 50 residents attended the event, including Torrington Mayor Elinor Carbone.

“Dr. King was one of the great leaders in American history,” Carbone said. “His message is still as pertinent today as it was back in the ’60s. I think it is important for us to remind our kids and our grandchildren that it’s important to come together as a community to support each other. That, to me, is the resounding message. During our busy days as we head on to our own paths, it’s important to have this one day of the year that reminds us of a message that is bigger than all of us.”

Carbone said she hopes that, if King were still alive, he would be proud of the work he did.

“I do think that society is tremendously better than it was back in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s,” she said. “Do I think there is still ground to be gained? Absolutely. However, I do think that he would be very proud to see the changes and the sense of community that he helped to build. He taught us all that peaceful collaboration is the best way to get things accomplished.”

During the event, DeLois Lindsey, author and assistant vice president for Student Development from the University of Hartford, spoke about King and other African Americans throughout history who have been important to civil rights.

Nzinga’s Daughters performed several songs based in African American history including songs from The Underground Railroad.

At the end of the event, attendees held hands and sang “We Shall Overcome.”