MLK Commemoration Booklet

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

5o Year Commemoration

April 4, 2018

“Out of the mountain of despair,
a stone of hope.”

Program Schedule

6:30-8 p.m.

Williston Middle School

401 S. 10th Street | Wilmington, NC

Mistress of Ceremonies: Frances Weller

Musical Selections
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”

Welcome
Introduction of Commission and Honoring Dr. King

Presentation of Colors and Pledge of Allegiance
“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”
Recognition of Essay Winners

Excerpt from MLK: The Assassination Tapes
Minute of Silence and Ringing of the Bell
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternal Hymn
WECT Video Presentation
Musical Selection
Proclamations
Keynote Address: Governor Roy Cooper
SENC ML King Celebration Committee
Call to Action
Benediction
“We Shall Overcome”

2

Letter from Chairpersons Benjamin R. David, District Attorney,
and Bertha B. Todd, Retired School Administrator

April 4, 2018
The MLK50ILM Commemoration Commission is as diverse as our
community and the lasting legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream: we
represent many races and ethnicities, we are young and old, and we come from many
professions and backgrounds. All of us are united in our admiration of Dr. King and
his work to bring about justice, peace, and reconciliation. We are also committed to
making sure that Wilmington’s unique connection to his legacy is well known and
permanently recognized. Tonight, we will present a tribute fit for a King.
In Wilmington, like in many cities across our country, there is a street and a
community center named in honor of Dr. King. However, he was not as widely
beloved and respected at the time of his assassination. This history reminds us that
great progress has been made but there is also unfinished work that remains to be
done. As part of this commemoration, we have gathered the oral histories of people
who lived in our city 50 years ago in a documentary that will air tonight, and will
serve as a time capsule for years to come.
During his lifetime, Dr. King did not typically receive a warm reception
from the elected officials and law enforcement leaders of the cities he visited. Today,
elected leaders from all three branches of government are present and officials from
our city, county, schools, and courts have passed unanimous resolutions honoring
Dr. King. Governor Roy Cooper is installing a plaque at Williston to permanently
recognize Dr. King’s link to the school—one of excellence, rich in history, and
boosting alumni who have carried the torch forward in the struggle for equality.
Our children have led the way. From a district-wide essay contest where
thousands of students reflected on their “View from the Mountaintop,” to hundreds
of young leaders putting King’s teachings into practice by holding a special program
earlier today in Williston gymnasium, they recognize that Dr. King’s call for non-
violence has turned into a movement against violence. With a fierce urgency of now
they will not remain silent about things that matter.
The MLK50ILM Commemoration Commission strives not just to honor a
moment, but to continue a movement—where our country reaffirms the promise that
all of us are created equal and are endowed by our creator with the inalienable rights
of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Pastors from dozens of congregations
have come together and resolved to make sure that 11:00 a.m. on a Sunday does not
remain the most segregated hour in our city. In this same spirit, many non-
profit leaders in our region have combined forces to create dialogue circles focused on
listening to all voices as we move forward together.
We thank everyone who is joining us tonight for this special and solemn
occasion. Fifty years ago, Dr. King died in Memphis, but his dream lives on today in
Wilmington!
Respectfully yours,

Benjamin R. David Bertha B. Todd
District Attorney 3 Retired School Administrator

Letter from Governor Roy Cooper

April 4, 2018
Dear Friends:

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a hero to many people across
our country. April 4, 1968 was a sad and tragic day in our history. As
Governor, it is an honor for me to recognize Dr. King’s enduring legacy in
North Carolina and across our nation on the 50th anniversary of his passing.

Dr. King was scheduled to appear at Williston Senior High School
at a voter registration drive for Reginald Hawkins, the first African-
American candidate for governor of North Carolina. He knew then what the
members of his fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, have said for nearly a century,
that “a voteless people is a hopeless people.” His message of love in the face
of hate, non-violent protest and reconciliation is as important today as it was
then.

As a way of recognizing this history and the part that Wilmington
played in it, I am asking the North Carolina Department of Natural and
Cultural Resources to create a permanent plaque to be placed at the
entrance of Williston Middle School.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to recognize the incredible strides
that Wilmington and our entire state have made over the last 50 years. There
is much work still to be done and it is my hope that we will continue to work
together to achieve Dr. King’s dream.

With warm personal regards, I am
Very truly yours,

Roy Cooper

4

Letter from Local Elected Officials

April 4, 2018
In recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s monumental
achievements and given his unique connection to our community, those of us
entrusted with public office are proud to be members of the MLK & Wilmington
50 Year Commemoration Commission. Dr. King’s message was universal and
timeless and knows no geographic boundary or political party. Tonight we
come together to share this special moment and celebrate the life of one of
history’s great leaders.
Our children have marked the occasion of this solemn anniversary by
participating in an essay contest and by wearing the unity colors of black
& gold. Our Schools are committed to teaching this important history as
part of an ongoing curriculum. Dr. King’s message of non-violence has a
special focus and earlier today young leaders from many area schools came to
Williston as we launched a major initiative directed toward anti-bullying
efforts and a continued call for the safety of all students.
Courtrooms throughout the Fifth District opened this morning with a
moment of silence in Dr. King’s honor. Members of law enforcement from
multiple agencies have worked tirelessly to help with this commemoration
and carry forth the ideals of doing justice for all that was at the core of Dr.
King’s mission.
Both New Hanover County and the City of Wilmington have adopted
unanimous resolutions recognizing Wilmington’s role in Dr. King’s story and
encouraging a moment of silence at 7:01 pm, the moment of his death. As we
come together on this day, we commit to continuing the hard work that must
be done to move forward together in order to keep his dream alive.

5

History

On Thursday April 4, 1968, just after 6:00pm Central Time, the
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed while he was
standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.

Dr. King was supposed to be in Wilmington on the day he was
murdered in Memphis. Dr. King was scheduled to appear at
Williston Senior High School at an event promoting voter registration in
the area with “the first Negro gubernatorial candidate in North Carolina
history.” Reginald Hawkins was a dentist and a civil rights advocate, and
he sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in 1968 and 1972.
Wilmington was one of the stops Dr. King was supposed to make in North
Carolina in support of Hawkins and voter registration.

Williston Senior High School was long considered a model for
education and boasted a number of elite graduates who went on to
prominent colleges and universities, making the school the pride
of the African-American community. According to a report in the
Wilmington Morning Star, “Dr. King was to have spoken at
Williston Senior High School to launch a county-wide registration drive…At
approximately the same time Dr. King was to have spoken at the high school
in Wilmington, he was cut down by a bullet in Memphis.”

Dr. King backed out of the event a few days before it was held. He
had been at a march in Memphis for striking sanitation workers that
had ended in violence. He regrouped with members of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in Atlanta and chose to
return to Memphis on April 3, 1968. Some members of the Wilmington
African American community—which by 1968 was clearly and
publically divided—seemed relieved that King was not coming to
Wilmington. The Wilmington Journal expressed concern about King’s visit,
and declared “There has been much unrest here, with a majority of the Negro
and white citizens hoping and praying that Dr. King would not come here, if
his presence would provoke violence.”

After Dr. King’s death, violence broke out in a number of cities around

the nation, including Wilmington. At first, it seemed as if the city’s

streets might remain relatively calm. On April 5, “200 students and

adults from Williston Senior High School paraded to downtown

Wilmington for a short prayer service at the New Hanover County

Courthouse. WEP Chief H.E. Williamson lauded the citizens’ restraint and

noted that ‘no parade permit was needed for the march since the group stayed
on the sidewalk.’”
6

History

On Saturday April 6, the newspaper reported, “Though rioting erupted in
some North Carolina cities, only a few minor incidents were reported in
Wilmington. Organized activity here following the death of the civil rights
leader was orderly and peaceful.” But calm did not last. On Saturday night,
the National Guard was called out, and a curfew was imposed in Wilmington.
After 4 days of violence things seemed to calm down. On Tuesday, April 9, the
same day the violence in Wilmington abated, the Reverend King was buried
in Atlanta, Georgia. The next day, Wilmington’s emergency curfew was lifted.

Today, Dr. King is a celebrated historical figure. His monument sits
near the Lincoln Memorial in the nation’s capital. Like many U.S.
Cities, there is a street in Wilmington named in his honor, and a community
center that bears his name is located in view of Williston Middle School. The
division that some felt about Dr. King during his lifetime seems largely to have
vanished. Outside the Lorraine Motel in Memphis a plaque has these words:

They said one to another
Behold, here cometh the dreamer.
Let us slay him
And we shall see what will become of his dreams.

- Genesis 37:19-20

On the 50th anniversary of his death, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and
Wilmington, NC: 50 Year Commemoration Commission is committed to
honoring the legacy of Dr. King and his contributions to promoting peace,
social justice and reconciliation.

Research prepared by Cape Fear Museum of History and Science.

History Source Details: mlkandilm.wixsite.com/1968/history.

Local students participated in a “View from the Mountaintop” essay
contest for this 50 Year Commemoration, and the top four winning
essays are featured on the following pages of this program. Students in
kindergarten through second grade were given the prompt “What
if Dr. King had come to Wilmington, how he would help people be
peacemakers?” Students in third through twelfth grade wrote about their
view from the mountaintop and what they think would have happened if
Dr. King had come to Wilmington rather than Memphis on April 4, 1968.

7

Student Essay Winner

Makyn’ze Nelson

2nd Grade - Snipes Academy
Teacher: Ms. Ool

Principal: Ms. Manning

If Dr. King could come to Wilmington, NC, he could help people
become peacemakers by leading a pledge. He can gather a large group of
people and share his “I have a dream speech”.

His “I have a dream speech” was about all four of his
kids not being picked on about the color of their skin. He can tell
people to show kindness and respect each other. He can tell people to give
handshakes and hugs. He can tell people it doesn’t matter where you sit in a
restaurant because we are all the same.

We have a lot of tragedies in Wilmington because of the
shooting. He can tell people not to shoot each other so everyone can have
a longer life. He can tell everyone blacks and whites can play on the same
playground and if you have a friend that is a different color you can all love
each other.

LIGHTDARKNESS CANNOT DRIVE OUT DARKNESS;
ONLY CAN DO THAT.

L O V EHATE CANNOT DRIVE OUT HATE;
ONLY CAN DO THAT.

8

Student Essay Winner

Madalyn Liva

5th Grade - Alderman Elementary
Teacher: Ms. Wooten
Principal: Ms. Tayloe

I’ve Been to the Mountaintop: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
Last Speech

Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted people to do the right thing. He
had a dream that black and white people would be able to be friends.
When he was a child, he had a best friend who was white. One sad day
he learned that he was no longer allowed to play with his best friend
because of segregation. No matter where he went, the movies or a restaurant,
he could not go in because he was black. This was not fair. When he got older,
he started writing speeches about equality.

On April 3, 1968, Dr. King presented his last speech called
I’ve been to the mountaintop. That speech is about him seeing the
Promised Land. He said he may not get to the Promised Land with
everybody, but everybody will get to the Promised Land one day. He knew it was
possible for everyone to have equal rights, and he believed that people could
do the right things to help make this dream come true.

My view from the mountaintop is that we have to have faith in God,
and we will get to the Promised Land. We will succeed. We are winners. We
have always been winners. My Promised Land looks like a very happy place,
and God will be there. All the good people like Dr. King will be there. We, as
equal people will be there.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a peacemaker and wanted everyone to live
in harmony. If Dr. King spoke at Williston High School on April 4th, 1968, I
think he would have encouraged people to be nice, kind, and generous. He
would have helped people become peacemakers. He will always be a great
memory and inspiration to us. Rest in peace, Dr. King. You did succeed.

9

Student Essay Winner

Aurelia Colvin

7th Grade - Cape Fear Academy
Teacher: Mr. Gergel

Headmaster: Mr. Berger

To Climb a Mountain

On Thursday, April 4, 1968, Dr. King delivered a riveting speech on
supporting Reginald Hawkins and voter registration. He was in Wilmington,
NC at Williston Senior High School Gymnasium. There was a large turn-out,
and everyone left feeling inspired. Or, that’s what should have happened.
Instead, Martin Luther King was fatally shot in Memphis, Tennessee that
fateful day. The day before King delivered a speech concerning the Memphis
Sanitation Workers strike called, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” He spoke
of the need for determination, unity, and the effective use of boycotts and
non-violence. King referenced other challenges people have faced through-
out history and the metaphorical mountains they have climbed.

King spoke of “mountains” as difficult challenges people face and
reaching the top as achieving those goals. He was saying that life is a series
of mountains one must climb together and nothing worth having is easily
obtained. Mountain peaks must be reached to get a view from the top and
traversed to move on to the next struggle.

Dr. King climbed many mountains in his lifetime. From organizing
the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Selma, to the March on Washington, he
inspired and strengthened the American people. MLK was the glue to the
civil rights movement and when he died, the movement started to unravel
when protesters responded with violence. Although, MLK didn’t live to see it,
the civil rights movement eventually succeeded. In the musical, Hamilton by
Lin Manuel Miranda, legacy is described as “planting seeds in a garden you
never get to see”. Although King never got to see his garden bloom, his legacy
flourishes today.

Although we are not finished fighting for civil rights, Dr. King would
be proud of how accepting of each other we have become. We have climbed
many mountains since his death, and we still have many more to scale.
Working together with perseverance, resilience, love, and strength; we might
all get a view from the mountaintop.

10

Student Essay Winner

Kenneth Marshall, Jr.

11th Grade - Hoggard High School
Teacher: Mr. Mininni
Principal: Dr. Sullivan

View from the Mountaintop

Close your eyes and see if you see what I see. As I stand on the
mountaintop and I look below, I see my ancestors’ outstretched hands
reaching up. I use to believe that it was in praise because their young one has
made it. However, now I believe it is much more that. Their hands serve as a
barrier to make sure that I do not tumble into the valley. Wait! That’s not all I
see. Not only folk that look like me, but Caucasians and other racially diverse
brothers and sisters as well.

Dr. King’s vision was for everyone to live in peace. It really doesn’t
matter about how you look on the outside. Our concern should be about the
inside. The content of a person’s character is what defines that person. This
is not a cliché. It should be a way of life.

I am not naïve. I am aware that it doesn’t mean that we will always
agree. However, in my promised land, I am free to be me. I allow you to be
you. We accept each other’s differences and we peacefully communicate to
come to a consensus. If a consensus is unreachable, we respect each other
enough to leave it in peace.

Dr. King’s impact on the world is extraordinary. I do not believe
that coming to Wilmington would have changed Dr. King’s future. As he
predicted in his speech, joining us on the mountaintop may not be an option.
Yet, every sacrifice that occurred reflects what we do today and governs our
tomorrow.

“Our lives begin to end the day we
become silent about things that matter.”

11

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

5o Year Commemoration

COMMISSION MEMBERS
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Cape Fear Museum of History and Science

City of Wilmington
Coast 97.3 FM

Community Boys and Girls Club
Community Partnership
Fifth Judicial District
Friends of Williston, Inc.
Live Oak Bank
Ministerial Alliance

SENC ML King Celebration Committee
New Hanover County NAACP

National Black Leadership Caucus
New Hanover County Government

New Hanover County Schools
UNCW

United Way of the Cape Fear Area
USACE, Wilmington
WECT

Williston Alumni Association
Williston Alumni Community Choir
Wilmington Downtown Rotary Club

Wilmington Journal
YWCA Lower Cape Fear

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