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WPCNR GRASSROOTS GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. January 16, 2006: The ghost of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. walked among us this morning at Crowne Plaza Hotel in the living words of Raphael Peacock and the Reverend W. Darin Moore.
From the moment Raphael Peacock delivered the spine-tingling words of the “I Have a Dream Speech” the very ghost of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to begin the Thomas H. Slater Center 13th Annual Unity Breakfast, the call to arms of Dr. Martin Luther King gripped tthe over 200 persons celebrating the legacy of “The Twentieth Century’s Greatest Leader,” as Reverend Moore was to call him. Reverend Moore, with fist clinched, makes a powerful point and members of the audience begin to rise, clapping. Photo, WPCNR News.
Rafael Peacock recreated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s most famous speech to begin the celebration. His rendering was so real, this reporter believed it was a recording. Photo, WPCNR News.
A clarion call to “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable” was worthily delivered by a speaker recalling Dr. King’s oratory power by the Reverend W. Darin Moore of the Greater Centennial AME Zion Church, of Mt. Vernon.
Reverend Moore brought the “Who’s Who of White Plains” to their collective feet 4 times with a keynote address that rolled through the ballroom like the elite Southern Crescent Pullman Train on the old Southern Line. He picked up speed, pausing at stations for key personal laugh-filled anecdotes, tempering his unflinching message with laughter and honesty, prefacing his powerful messages, then he’d roll on picking up steam, taking us to the next emotional level down the line. The smooth, mellow booming, impassioned voice shook chandeliers, entered spirits of all with the inspiration that Dr Martin Luther King stands for today.
He reenergized the challenge Dr. King presents to us for the future. Calling upon the community leaders in the audience, he praised them for being there today, saying “This morning reflects the best of humanity,” and prior to closing his speech, informed the 200 participants in the breakfast, when leaving this hotel, “ you can turn White Plains upside down.”
Reverend Moore warmed up his audience with the ease of a Southern Line “Conductor,” warning that despite the gains since Dr. Martin Luther King’s time, he was disappointed that in America today, citing a poll he had heard of over the weekend, whites are satisfied with the level of diversity and opportunity today, while minorities are not so sure.
Reverend W. Darin Moore, being congratulated on his message. Photo, WPCNR News.
“It is still a tale of two cities, despite education access and more opportunities,” as he engaged the issue. Dr. King, he said, made America “see first-hand” the racism that existed 50 years ago, and there are still “on-going vestiges of racism in the United States. Race does matter.” Moore warned the nation had become complacent, there was more to be done to bridge “the great division that exists in this country.”
He prefaced his speech with the story of hotel guests who were offered a great suite on the 24th floor, but had to walk up 24 flights of stairs to get to the suite. To make his point said that for champions of minority causes to be complacent now, “we have left the key in the lobby.”
He said Dr. King has become “acceptable” today, but reminded his audience King was “ostracized and excoriated “ during his time as a “radical,” and that we need to remember to keep that “agitation” of his.
He reminded the audience of Dr. King’s own stated mission: “to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
He told the enrapt that King had a dual aspect of his message, “to challenge institutional racism, and challenge the system that has the deck stacked against the person of color.” Moore said the minority community needs affirmative action to make a difference: “It is time for the deck to be stacked against those who stacked the deck.”
He implored the listeners to intervene where they do not see diversity or see children falling behind. “You can’t be lazy. You can’t be satisfied. You can’t say I raised mine. All of the children are ours.” (This brought one of four jump-to-your-feet-clapping ovations.)
As the speaker of last year at this very breakfast did, Reverend Moore heaped scorn on the culture of narcissism and pleasure afflicting both rich and pooer cultures today. Selecting suggestive lyrics from current rap star songs, he ridiculed the lines as messages of narcissism that waylay young and old. He ridiculed the attraction of “bling.”
“You have to act right, think right, and speak right,” Moore said, (prompting another “lift-you-out-of-your chair” round of applause, as his voice rung above the applause.) “Some are not goin’ up in the club,” he paraphrased a pop rap star. “Some are goin up in the classroom to get an education. Some are going up in the boardroom and getting paid.”
Referring to the preoccupation with vehicles, he noted, “It’s not what you’re driving, it’s where you’re going while you’re driving.” (Another raucous ovation followed that statement.)
Noting the trend towards gated communities, he said that “homeboy” you are leaving behind will go over those walls if he is not paid attention to.
Motivating his audience of “movers and shakers” to action, he told the story of the mother gorilla who rescued a young human child from other gorillas in her compound and handed the human child back to its mother. The Reverend noted by implication, if a gorilla can do it you can do it.
Bringing in personal analogy, after analogy, the Reverend exhorted a renewed commitment to the King legacy. He referenced a game of checkers with his 13 year old son, and how with his son losing, his son told him, “If I can just get to King’s row, I can change the game.” Moore challenged his audience to get to that King’s row…Dr. King’s row to follow the example of the man he called “The Twentieth Century’s Greatest Leader,” because he said, Dr. King brought about worldwide change even though he led no government and had no army.
Moore concluded his speech with the rising excitement of an old time revival, saying once he got to “King’s Row,” he’d be talking with not only Dr. Martin Luther King, but great religious leaders and social leaders, and as he named each, “Talkin with Issac, and Abraham,” the applause grew louder. The entire house was his.
The audience was for the moment galvanized, struck with possibilities, which is what the Dr. Martin Luther King Unity Breakfast is all about.
In the stunned euphoria of what the future could be (a presence you could feel in the room), the breakfast ended quietly, solemnly. Because there was little left to say. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would have told Reverend Moore, “pretty good, kid.”
Mayor Joseph Delfino embraced Reverend Moore after his talk, and gave a short talk about how he was profoundly moved by Moore’s speech and that he (Delfino) stays his course because he consults his conscience each night to see if he is doing the right thing. He encouraged the audience to follow the Reverend’s example.
Rabbi Lester Bronstein of Bet Am Shalom Synague followed with a Prayer of Peace, recalling how Rosa Parks, the heroine of Birmingham was at his ordination as a Rabbi twenty years ago, offering a prayer that expressed the sentiment “in turning to each other, we discover You.” (God).
Reverend Dr. Lester Cousin of the Calvary Baptist Church, White Plains stirred all souls with his signature song, “If I can just help somebody, my life will not have been in vain.” Photo, WPCNR NEWS
Reverend Virginia Sanders of the Allen AME Church of White Plains invoked the Lord for the Benediction, encouraging the audience to “Remember, Celebrate and Act.”
Heather Miller, Executive Director of the Slater Center welcomed the throng and introduced her daughter, Jo-Ann Enwezor, who performed a smooth and low-key performance as Mistress of Ceremonies. Dr. Bruce Golden, Chairman of the Thomas H. Slater Center Board of Directors recognized board members. Mrs. Rebecca Waller Bright sung America the Beautiful and the audience joined in with her on the hymn, Lift Every Voice. Photo, WPCNR News
After breakfast was served, INVEST Enrichment Program children read a tribute to Rosa Parks, and Praise Dance of Bethel Baptist Church performed.
It was announced by Ms. Miller that the Louis Cappelli Foundation had donated $10,000 to the Thomas H. Slater Center After School Program.
The event drew a number of celebrities: Assemblyman Adam Bradley, County Legislators Bill Ryan and Lois Bronz, the White Plains Common Council members, Benjamin Boykin, Glen Hockley, Arnold Bernstein, and Thomas Roach; State Senator Suzi Oppenheimer. The former Executive Director of Slater Center, Charlie Booth traveled from North Carolina to be there, Bruce Berg of Cappelli Enterprises was there, as were former Councilman Robert Ruger, former Commissioner of Planning Michael Graessle, realtor Nick Wolfe, and Ron Jackson was there, courtesy of the Crowne Plaza Hotel which by a special van pickup enabled Mr. Jackson to attend.
I have left a number of persons out, but this gives you an idea who was there. Tables were sponsored by Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, Community Housing Management Corp., Community Unitarian Church, Congregation Kol Ami, Martin Luther King Center for Non-Violence, Memorial United Methodist Church, Mount Hope AME Zion Church, NAACP, the Rotary Club of White Plains, the Theodore Young Community Center, WESPAC and White Plains Beauticians.
Ms. Miller thanked the City of White Plains, the Community Development Fund, Verizon, the Cappelli Foundation, New York Life Foundation, United Way of Westchester/Pelham and the Rotary Club of White Plains for sponsoring the Thomas H. Slater Center.
It was a morning to remember, celebrate and act.
