Friends of Mount Zion will hold a day of remembrance Wednesday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of his death.
At 5:04 p.m. PT there will be a bell ringing in remembrance of Dr. King. At 6 p.m. there will be a dinner featuring dishes from around the world. The dinner is open to the public.
"Dr. King was about everybody. The blanket didn’t just cover one race, one people, one group, one ethnicity, one religion. No. It’s for everybody,” Organizer Hayward Evans said. “And that’s the way we feel.”
Eddie Rye and Harry Bailey are also helping organize the event. They say many of the challenges that faced the African American community 50 years ago, still exist today.
“I think the day of remembrance needs to be a day of recommitment to civil rights for all. And right now we see in politics, given the landscape of politics, it’s not in the best interest of all,” Evans said. “We have to embrace our history, understand our history, embrace where we are, and move forward.”
What would Dr. King say if he were alive today?
“Oh my God. Oh my God. I thought we dealt with these issues already. I didn’t realize that racism would be this rampant. They are no longer wearing robes and hoods. They are coming out in three-piece suits and doing what they have to do to deny African Americans and other people any kind of quality of life in America,” Rye said.
They hope today serves as the next chapter, a new day, a new opportunity to change the story like Dr. King would want.
“Even Dr. King said it’s never too late to do the right thing. Never too late to do the right thing. We’re challenging our elected officials, ‘Come on, do the right thing,’” Evans said.
They hope everyone comes out and remembers the man who changed the world for the better.
“Today is about remembering the drum maker for peace. Today is about fulfilling and recommitting ourselves to fulfilling Dr. King’s dream, about having equality for all people in this country.” Rye said.
