Remembering the Past, Moving Toward the Future

The following article was contributed by Sheila Caldwell:

In January 2012, it will be 30 years since the law declaring Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday a national holiday was passed. It all started at the grassroots level and has blossomed into what we recognize today as a “Day of Service”.

The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community,” according to MLKDay.gov.

During the transition of MLK Day from being classified as just a day off to a day on, 20 years ago, in Aberdeen, N.J., a group of Providence Baptist Church parishioners had a similar vision of paying homage to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Their first Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute was held in January 1993, at the former Matawan Avenue Middle School, now Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School and has remained at this venue ever since. The performance was outstanding and attended by many.

In 1994, Providence didn’t have the resources to continue the program, but local resident, Mrs. Shirley Macon could not see it just end after one event. She felt Dr. King’s life and legacy was too important to let just fade away. She envisioned having Aberdeen and surrounding communities participate in a tribute that would bring to the forefront the life and contributions of Dr. King. Local residents of all ages could perform - using song, poetry, skits and dramatic acts to showcase their own talents and knowledge about Dr. King and his vision. She reached out to various local churches for participation as well as financial support, taking on the role of chairperson for the newly formed Martin Luther King Jr. Committee.

Mrs. Macon remained chairperson until 2006, when she passed the baton on to the current chairperson, Mrs. Shirley Underwood.

Over the years the Committee has grown, reaching out to not only the African American community, but to the community-at-large. Creating friendships and collaborations, broadening outreach and conveying an overall understanding of what “community” is to all. An array of governmental and public officials in addition to religious leaders have been in attendance at this affair and praised the efforts of the Martin Luther King Jr. Committee.

As times have subtly changed, so has the Tribute. Not in its core vision and the contributions of local talent, but in periodically having a “feature performer/performance” headline the program. In 2010, the Zawadi African Dancers of Newark put on a stellar performance.

This year, on Saturday, January 14th at 5:30 pm, the 19th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration will be held at the Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School Auditorium, 469 Matawan Avenue, Cliffwood, NJ 07721. This year’s theme is “Remembering Our Past, Moving Toward the Future”.

The celebration will include local talent with featured performances by “Joy Unlimited Youth Mass Choir” from Philadelphia. “Joy Unlimited” has many accolades including performing at Pennsylvania Gubernatorial Inaugurations; with Jill Scott, Freddy Jackson and a number of other gospel performers; released 3 albums and performed on a number of television shows like “Today Show”. They are a high-spirited group of young people who will surely have you getting up out of your seat in this celebration of Dr. King.

In a recent interview with Mrs. Macon, she said, “It is a blessing and tribute to the community that the program has now reached its 19th year anniversary” and she adds that she will in attendance at the event.

Additionally, this year’s theme parallels that of the unveiling of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. last fall (the first non-presidential monument). Both truly represent a living remembrance of our past and move toward the future.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Committee invites you to attend this FREE family-oriented event.

Registration is not required, but you can register online and have a chance to win a prize.

The Committee is dedicated to keeping Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream and legacy alive for decades to come.