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MLK Jr. luncheon to celebrate march on Washington

  • Published
  • By Karen Petitt
  • 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  In one of the greatest demonstrations for freedom, more than 200,000 people packed the Washington, D.C.'s National Mall on a hot August day in 1968 to show their support for comprehensive and effective civil rights legislation.

To celebrate that moment in time when Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his most famous "I have a dream" speech and to honor the man behind the message, a luncheon will be held on Friday, Jan. 14 at 11:30 a.m. at the Scott Club.

As Dr. King began his speech, he spoke of a promissory note of justice that America had defaulted on, and that he was there to "cash this check--a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice." He spoke of the urgency with which to move forward on making the needed changes and with that is the theme of the luncheon: "Now is the Time."

As he stated, "This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood."

To help bring this message to life, Mr. Jef Williams, a motivational speaker and retired Air Force chief master sergeant, will be the guest speaker for the event. Mr. Williams is an author, facilitator and founder of a firm specializing in human performance and productivity, JCW Team Consultants, LLC.

"The idea for this luncheon is to take us back--as if we're all participating in this historic event," said 2nd Lt. Daniel Riley, MLK Jr., luncheon chairperson. "The message from this speech still resonates today. We should be evaluating how far we've come since then and if there are still changes to be made, now is the time to do so."

Sign ups for the luncheon have begun and are being circulated via e-mail. The deadline to R.S.V.P. is Jan. 7. The menu includes blackened grilled chicken breast, macaroni and cheese, black eyed peas, salad, corn bread, and banana pudding for dessert, or an option of vegetarian lasagna with steamed vegetables instead. Cost for Club members is $10.50 and for non-members, $12.50. For questions about sign ups, call Master Sgt. Tracey Stephens at 256-3054.