2024 MLK Assembly Recap
Community Renewal Society (CRS) celebrated our 2024 Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Faith in Action Assembly on January 15. With a diverse panel of seven influential speakers. The virtual event began with a powerful introduction from DJ Natural High who led us into the assembly with music that echoed Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and celebration. CRS Community Outreach and Capacity Building Manager for Organizing and Policy Keron Blair hosted this year’s assembly and weaved beautifully through each message from the powerhouse of speakers to follow. Alderman Desmon Yancy was our first speaker. Alderman Yancy spoke to emphasize the importance of using time to create change and shared a passage from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s nearly 60-year-old sermon titled “The American Dream.” He stated that reaching equality means “our work for change must match our will,” as only when our words and action are reflective of our faith will we notice social progress. To make the American Dream of all having God given rights a reality, we must be aware of the moment and prepared to act when opportunity is present. It is our duty to demand accountability in Chicago, such as for policing, through citywide coalition, constituency and capacity building.
Following that powerful piece, we had the incomparable Stacy Davis Gates prepped to lead us through a conversation on equity. Stacy is the President of the Chicago Teachers Union and executive vice president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Stacy utilized her platform to reflect on the chaos and community in Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life. She reminds us that although Dr. King challenged Chicago to go against the real estate industry and the practice of red lining in the past, we are still plagued with issues we must conquer today. There is either relief or resistance, and in 2024 with Brandon Johnson as the city’s mayor, we have the opportunity to achieve true equity and create the system Dr. King fought for by investing in our communities and advocating for reparations and economic justice.
Third to bat was a speaker willing to challenge us. While Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is a leader for freedom, justice and liberty for all, he is not without flaws. Omar Haramy from Sabeel Ecumenical Theological Center lead us from Jerusalem to speak to the Palestinian mixed perspective of Dr. King. Omar shared that Dr. King’s struggle, like that of Palestinians, was not against individuals or specific groups of people but the structures of evil. Dr. King’s goal was liberation and justice for people everywhere. Dr. King did not seek approval but was instead committed to achieving justice for his cause. Similarly, the Palestinian resistance movement recognizes the value of individuals who fearlessly advocate for their rights and Dr. King’s legacy serves as a powerful example of the shared pursuit of liberation and justice. In Palestine, there are mixed feelings about Dr. King. For resistance, people have great respect for him. He is a symbol of resistance, justice, freedom and liberation. On the other hand, there is the notion that Dr. King supported Zionism. It could be misinformation, the way that he read the Bible in a way that portrays Israel as a fulfillment of prophecy but we as people should not expect perfection from anyone. Healing is a result of our commitment to honor the full humanity of individuals in the United States, Palestine and elsewhere around the world.
CRS’ next guest speaker felt a special connection to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Alderwoman Maria Hadden shares not only a birthday weekend with Dr. King, but also a shared purpose of social justice in her life. Drawn to social justice and civic engagement, Alderwoman Maria Hadden reflected on a chapter from Dr. King’s book The Trumpet of Conscience about youth and action. With plenty to consider in an election year, she reminds us of Dr. King’s warning about alienation and the dissolution of society that occurs when connections between people are diminished or forces from the nation crumble democracy. Against all odds, it is our mandate to trust and embrace each other and build the Beloved Community that we deserve. We have solutions and must work together to recover. With our commitment to justice, equity, inclusion, healing and advocacy in solidarity with marginalized groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community, we can find purpose and empowerment.
Most of us know Rev. Julian Deshazier by many hats. Rev. Deshazier is a national speaker, advocate and Emmy winning musician known as Kwest. As our fifth speaker, Rev. Deshazier led through spoken word the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., which is rooted in not solely the advancement of the Black community, but the advancement of people everywhere. It is our job to take upon Dr. King’s challenge, stop fighting over the scraps and listen to the full voices of Chicago’s migrants. We can work together with our elected officials to respond to social issues by increasing employment, housing and educational opportunities. Advancing legislative reforms that restore rights and create economic opportunities will lead us to achieve justice for all.
Community activist Eric Wilkins was our next inspiring guest. Eric hails from the Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice and is the founder of the Broken Winggz Foundation, an organization that works directly with families affected by gun violence. Eric honored Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for his continuous courage, staying the course during his lifetime and leading with the will of God even in the face of brutality. He reflected on his life growing up on the Southside of Chicago and the turmoil that he experienced when he was shot and later paralyzed. Through the turmoil, he recognizes the importance of living through God and is confident that Dr. King would want us to grow together from trying times. He encourages us to make Dr. King proud by committing to always doing what is right, even if it is challenging. We can do so by honoring the narratives of individuals impacted by the prison industrial complex, persons displaced and homeless and the lives stolen by racialized violence and discrimination. Let us build bridges and provide resources to facilitate healing in diverse capacities.
Brother Laurence Steven Minter hails from Trinity United Church of Christ. As our next speaker, Brother Laurence guided us with a piece titled “The Aftermath” to uplift Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s moral brilliance and understanding of mathematics as symbolic logic. As we live in the aftermath of our ancestors, he urges us to wonder what follows Dr. King’s legacy of discussions and movements. He reminded us that our collective consciousnesses is a social consequence and that a revolution requires love. We must go deeper into healing and further in policy and practice, rearranging the formulas to break down barriers and applying ourselves to reclaim our dignity and gain righteous equality and liberation.
Every year, CRS lifts up a person in our community to honor with the Yvonne Delk Moral Courage Legacy Award. This award is given to a visionary, trailblazer and champion for human rights who has displayed courage and integrity. We took a pause from our guest speakers to offer this award to Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. He is a preacher, teacher, organizer and activist who has used his platform and voice to call our attention not just to local struggles, but to the struggles of those across the globe. Rev. Wright is and continues to be a tremendous gift. We paid tribute to the contributions he has made thus far in advancing justice.
After an amazing cast of speakers and tributes that touched on a multitude of local and global topics, CRS was honored to receive the 2023 NorthStar Freedom School Community Impact Award from Rev. Dr. Marilyn Pagán-Banks on behalf of A Just Harvest. Before Rev. Pagán-Banks presented CRS for our partnership with A Just Harvest in providing money and resources to children in Chicago this summer, she quoted a letter about the need for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s prophetic wisdom and his activism. She reminds us that with the prevalence of violence and hunger, we must center the voices of children who have the power to lead us out of social messes. We can heal by leaning on children’s wisdom, vision, creativity, curiosity and courage.
To end our program, we heard a beautiful message from CRS Executive Director Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton with introduction to the late Rev. Dr. Calvin Morris. Rev. Morris who served as CRS’ Executive Director from 1998 until his retirement in 2012. He was only the second person of color to lead CRS after Dr. Yvonne V. Delk and the sole Black male to have held his distinguished position. His influence reaches beyond our organization, touching the lives of many through his work as a historian and human rights activist and his publications and editorial contributions. During his tenure as the associate director and national coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket from 1967 to 1971 and later as the executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Rev. Morris played a pivotal role in advancing the Civil Rights Movement.