Middlesex NAACP observes MLK Day with Zoom event

by Tom Chillemi –

Robert West, the featured speaker at the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration conducted “virtually” by the Middlesex NAACP Unit 7091, chose this King quote to emphasize King’s legacy. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that; and hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

West told the online Zoom audience of more than 40 people that King’s “message of non-violence, peaceful protest and equality is as pertinent today as it was yesterday. Truth and power behind that message still exist today and we will still need work to improve it in our society today.”

Integration

West graduated from Middlesex High School (MHS) in 1970 in the first fully racially integrated graduating class, he explained. West had also attended segregated St. Clare Walker High School through the 11th grade and entered MHS in September 1969 for his senior year.

“As we look back to see where we were, we can remember the separate water fountains and waiting rooms and sitting in the back of the bus, and separate schools,” West told the online audience. “This seems preposterous now, but it all was present. Even though these things are in the past we know there is still room for improvement in today’s society.”

Change

“Today, think about how the events of today will look 50 years from now. Will we be still fighting the same fight and having the same arguments about race?” West asked. “We must make progress and move forward to a place where all people can live together regardless of this racial divide. We must be willing to conquer that racial divide for the good of all people.”

“Stand up”

West recalled one of Dr. King’s famous quotes: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

In closing, West told the audience, “As we go forward, remember to stand up against injustice and speak out for what is right. Remember to listen to the perspectives of other people of other racial and ethnic groups and have an open mind. A closed mind will not enable us to conquer this racial divide, it will cause us to remain the same.

The entire Middlesex NAACP King Day celebration is online. Use passcode: FaQ=%6Cs.

The Zoom meeting, the first King Day virtual meeting for the local NAACP, was coordinated by Greg Grichtmeier. Following the formal meeting many in the group chatted online in a breakout room about the past, and discussed future goals.