Stoneham holds first assembly for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Published on January 19th, 2000
STONEHAM, MA - Stoneham civic activist Paul McDonald hopes the 2000 Martin Luther King, Jr. Town Assembly will be the "First Annual" celebration in Stoneham of King's message of unity and peace.
With one single decoration — a cardboard likeness of Dr. King, pinned to a modest podium — the Town Hall Hearing Room was transformed into an intimate gathering place Monday morning. The Stoneham Millennium Council sponsored the event.
The crowd was small, but the Hearing Room was overflowing with emotion as teary-eyed citizens listened to Washington Street resident Shirley Murray read from the sermon Dr. King gave in Boston on Feb. 4, 1968. The sermon was also played as part of King's eulogy, after he was assassinated two months later on April 4, 1968.
"...I just want to leave a committed life behind," Murray said, reading King's words.
The youth of Stoneham learned first hand about a committed life. Under the proud eyes of parents Michael and Margaret Rora of Green St., twins Michael and Mary, 9, and little brother John, 6, led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance and "George Washington's Prayer for His Country." McDonald noted that Washington and King are the only two Americans with national holidays commemorating their births.
The Rora parents sing in the St. Patrick Church Choir, and their voices added a sweet melody to the soulful resonance of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and "God Bless America."
When McDonald asked young Mary to express her thoughts on King, she said, "I think of his dream of peace."
Tamara Nichols of Lee Street said she hoped more people would attend next year.
"They will," McDonald said confidently. He is already working to line up exciting speakers for 2001.
McDonald left those in attendance Monday with a call to action. He quoted King's widow, Coretta Scott King:
"It's not a day off. It's a day on. The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive would be if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others."
The third Monday of January is celebrated in all 50 states as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Anyone interested in the 2001 assembly or any other Millennium Council event should check out the group's web site at http://members.xoom.com/stoneham2000.
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