City of Madisonville

Office of the Mayor

Mayor's Remarks at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Browning Springs Middle School Auditorium

To all of the pastors, elected officials, and citizens here tonight, it is my distinct honor and privilege to bring you Greetings on behalf of the City of Madisonville to this service of remembrance and celebration of the great life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 

To our out of town guests - especially Bishop E. Lynn Brown - I offer a warm welcome to our fair City.  We hope you enjoy your time with us and we hope that you come back to visit again soon.  (Please feel free to spend a little money while you are here to help boost the local economy.)

As a minister - a civil rights leader - a husband and a father - Dr. King's life work stands out as a shining example of what President Lincoln referred to as "the better angels of our nature".  It is entirely fitting and proper that we take time to reflect on those works in services like this one and the others planned in our community over the course of the next few days.

But this is not just a time to look back in remembrance, honor, and celebration - it is also a time to look forward with hope and faith.  For while we have traveled far as a Nation - and as a City - in the years since Dr. King's tragic death, we still have many miles to go before all of our people are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.  With that goal in mind, we should this day re-dedicate ourselves to the fight against injustice and inequality in order to ensure that Dr. King's dream did not die with him on that day in Memphis some 40 years ago.

Now before I sit down - I want to issue a challenge.  I challenge the white community of Madisonville - and the black community of Madisonville - to do more than just talk about the ideals and principles of Dr. King.  I challenge everyone in our community - whether black, white, red, yellow, orange, purple, green, or whatever color - to take the spirit of unity, civic responsibility and pride that brought all of us together in this auditorium tonight - I challenge everyone here - myself included - to put that spirit into practice in our lives not just today - and not just tomorrow - and not just on Monday - but each and every other day of the year.  In the words of the great Elvis Presley, what we need is "a little less conversation, a little more action."

We must not ever forget that we are all on this journey called Life together - and only with each other's help - and only with the guidance, wisdom, and undeserved grace of the Almighty - can we make Dr. King's dream a reality for ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren.  This is the hope and the faith that I carry with me today, and I pray that you do as well.

Welcome again on behalf of the City of Madisonville, and may God continue to bless "The Best Town on Earth."