Published Wednesday, January 07, 2009

King's dream coming true

Editorial

With the historic inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama scheduled on Jan. 20, this year's observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday has added significance.

"What Dr. King was fighting for is really coming to life now," said Lisa Rand, worthy matron of Chapter 483, Order of the Easter Star in Newnan, which sponsors the annual MLK Jr. celebration in our community. "Forty years after [Dr. King's] death we have an African-American president. That is what he was fighting for -- this opens a whole door for a new generation to see that, yes, I can do anything I want."

The 22nd MLK Jr. Parade and Celebration in Newnan is this weekend. Activities begin at 6 p.m. Friday with the annual memorial program at Mount Sinai Baptist Church. There will be special music and praise dance teams. Matthew Bailey Jr. will speak. On Saturday, the parade will leave Newnan High School at noon and travel through downtown Newnan. After the parade, the annual chili-fest will be held at Newnan High.

"We want to make this year a blast," said Vicki Parks, local parade chairwoman. "We're looking for a greater turnout."

"Strategizing the star through the synergy of service, education, wellness and volunteerism" is the theme for this year's local MLK Jr. celebration.

"We want to be able to continue to educate our community on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.," said Margaret Thompson. "That's the reason we work so hard to try to do this."

Indeed, this is a special year for the MLK Jr. celebration. We are reminded of King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech that was delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial on one end of the famous Mall in Washington, D.C.

King's dream will come true for millions on Jan. 20, when Barack Obama is sworn in as President of the United States and he delivers his inaugural address at the U.S. Capital on the other end of the Mall in our nation's capital.