An editorial from the Exponent Telegram
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — This year, the country will mark the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, which was signed into law July 2, 1964.
We all know the main leader behind the movement that led to the Civil Rights Act was Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we mark today with a national holiday.
It is fitting that on this day, both locally and across the country, people of all races, creeds, gendes and national origins will come together to remember him. It’s also a tribute to the man that many of those people will engage in activities that will help others.
In Clarksburg, a church service will be held at 7 p.m. at Stealey United Methodist Church. Sponsored by the Greater Clarksburg Cooperative Parish Council, the event is open to people of all faiths and walks of life.
“The purpose is to remember Dr. King and his dream of working things out peacefully and caring for our neighbors,” Marybeth Chien, a member of the Parish Council, told Staff Writer Jim Davis.
James Harris, president of the local chapter of the NAACP, hopes for a good turnout.
“I think it’s important the communities remember what Martin Luther King has brought to the forefront,” Harris said. “His dream is being fulfilled, but there’s still a lot to be done.
“I think we need to be reminded every year just how important the civil rights movement has been in this country and all over the world,” Harris told us.
We also are encouraged to know that a group of volunteers will mark Martin Luther King Day by working at the Clarksburg Mission, helping to provide for those in need. And we’re pleased to learn that local schoolchildren continue to learn of King’s impact through non-violent means and that, as one child told us, “King is a hero.”
Indeed, he is and forever will be, despite an assassin’s bullet which ended his life on April 4, 1968.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s ability to rally people for a common cause and to use non-violent means, even in the face of violence and ridicule, required masterful discipline and divine inspiration…