Photo By Hendrick Dickson | NORFOLK, Virginia (January 11, 2023) Gilbert Bland, President and CEO of Urban League...... read more read more
Military Sealift Command (MSC) honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during a special observance event held Jan. 11, 2023 at Vista Point on Norfolk Naval Station.
Born Jan. 15, 1929, Dr. King, one of America’s pre-eminent advocates of nonviolence and the leader of the civil rights movement, strived to achieve his dream of equality and justice for all until his death in 1968. In 1986, Congress passed a bill designating his birthday as a national holiday. Each year, on the third Monday of January, the nation comes together to commemorate and celebrate his legacy.
The enduring theme of the holiday, “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day on…Not a Day Off,” calls upon Americans to engage in public service and promote peaceful social change. It aspires to continue Dr. King’s pursuit toward equality through unity and compassion.
The event opened with a video documenting Dr. King’s life while highlighting from his iconic “I Have a Dream Speech,” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in 1963 to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
President and CEO of Urban League of Hampton Roads Gilbert Bland delivered the keynote address at this year’s observance. Bland is a 2021 inductee into the Hampton Roads Business Hall of Fame and has been recognized by Volunteer Hampton Roads to receive the region’s lifetime achievement award for volunteerism.
“I’m happy you’re willing to recognize and support the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Day,” Bland said to the crowd of nearly 100 Sailors and civilian employees. “Your presence here today reaffirms the need to remain vigilant and attempt to live the principles and meet the goals and legacy of Dr. King. Your interest is further proof that Dr. King’s voice was heard and had impact.”
Bland then asked the audience, “Is Dr. King’s dream realized or relevant today or simply deferred?”
“Let me hasten to emphatically state, I believe there is much progress to celebrate,” he said after noting some of Dr. King’s achievements and his philosophy. “There is hardly any realm or endeavor of where America cannot point to significant progress over the past 60 years since the March on Washington. Progress is abundant and remarkable by any measure…”
“And yet, unfortunately progress in equity and inclusion is uneven,” he continued. “Too often, even today, the zip code of where you were born or lived determine the trajectory of your life.”
Bland went on to praise the Navy for its role in breaking down the walls of inequality through a commitment to diversity. He went on to talk about the parallels the military shares with his own organization, the Urban League, in the fight against racial inequality.
He concluded by sharing a quote from the speech on Washington to inspire the members to continue to lead that fight from the frontlines.
“I leave you with words from Dr. King, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.’”
“This quote is the answer to the question of whether the dream remains relevant or whether it has meaning to you personally,” he continued. “The Navy is at the intersection of every American community literally and figuratively. Sailors represent every socioeconomic demographic. Their success represents America’s success. Remember, whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
| Date Taken: | 01.11.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.25.2023 08:39 |
| Story ID: | 437088 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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