For the 48th consecutive year, on Friday our Y proudly gathered members of the Y and the broader community to remember and celebrate the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We gathered at the historic Y in Druid Hill; a Y that Dr. King and his entourage visited when passing through Baltimore during their civil rights tours.
After two years of having to gather virtually, thankfully we were all actually together, and the warmth in the room was almost palpable. Befitting the Y’s mission and Dr. King’s legacy, youth from several of the Y’s Community Schools programs were front and center. The breakfast was catered by students studying Culinary Arts at Forest Park High School; a dance was performed by students from Walter P. Carter Middle School; a xylophone ensemble from Holabird Academy graced us with two musical pieces; and Tayshawn Gregg from Walter P. Carter Elementary School recited Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
We also had the opportunity to recognize three of the wonderful partners who make the Y’s youth development work possible:
- Creative Development Studios for their support of our Out of School Time programs in grades K-12 helping to expose students to the wonders of the creative process
- Secure Starts at Taghi Modarressi Center for Infant Study, a part of the University of Maryland Medical System, a Y partner for over 20 years supporting the social-emotional well-being of children in our Head Start program
- The Psi Phi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. for its continuing series of volunteer activities and donations in support of Y youth development programs
Bishop Lisa M. Weah of New Bethlehem Baptist Church closed us out with an electric keynote, pointing out how much more work and vigilance is still needed to truly realize Dr. King’s vision. “So we still have to dream today because they killed the dreamer but they could not and cannot and they will not kill his dream. Because Martin’s dream was bigger than any one man or woman. It was broader than any one city or town. It was bolder than any ideal or ideology. It was the dreamer, Dr. King, who asserted that if you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. Why? Because we must emphatically seize our God-given promise that we are all entitled to certain inalienable rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
An event like this takes a small but mighty army to pull off. Among the many folks deserving of credit includes Donald Eaddy, Tiffany Reinhardt, Charmayne Turner, Amy Taylor, and Dana Ashley.
I hope that everyone takes some time today to reflect upon Dr. King’s life and legacy and to also think about the work we still have to do to advance the as-yet unfulfilled vision he laid out for us over 50 years ago.
All the best,
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland