Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
Duke University Professor Dr. William C. Turner Jr. (center) was the speaker Monday during a service to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Mount Sinai Church in Martinsville. With Turner are Mount Sinai’s Bishop J.C. RIchardson Jr. (left) and the Rev. Tyler Millner of Morning Star Holy Church. |
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
By ELIZA WINSTON - Bulletin Staff Writer
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. fought for equality between the races, but his message applies to today’s economic inequalities as well, a Duke University professor said Monday.
Dr. William C. Turner Jr., a professor at Duke’s Divinity School and pastor at Mt. Level Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., spoke Monday at Mt. Sinai Apostle Church in Martinsville during a service to honor the slain civil rights leader.
Turner said that although the United States now has an African-American president, that doesn’t mean King’s vision has been fully realized. The fight for equality applies to all Americans, Turner said, and it doesn’t always refer to race.
“There is still so much poverty in this country,” he said, “and until we can ensure that people are able to have their basic needs of food, shelter and health care met, there can never be equality.”
Americans who cannot get proper health care due to pre-existing conditions or other circumstances face inequality, Turner said. Many Americans, he said, are just one disease, pink slip or natural disaster away from becoming destitute.
“We are not here yet,” he said. “We must continue to fight for equality for all Americans.”
Although the United States is much better place for African Americans today than it was when King died more than 40 years ago, there still are major inequalities in wealth distribution and poverty levels for people of all races, Turner said, saying most of the nation’s wealth is divided among a small percentage of the population.
Many Americans have lost their jobs due to the recession, then their homes and the ability to pay for food, Turner said. If they fall sick, they cannot afford health care. When people in this country are dying due to economic inequality while others get large undeserved bonuses, there is a need for justice, he said.
The best way to continue to fight against injustice and inequality in America is through young people, Turner said. It is important to tell children they are smart, good and talented before they are old enough to have heard anything else. He said that way, as they grow older and are told they are underprivileged, ignorant or lacking potential, they will not believe it.
“It is important to give our children the lessons given to us,” he said. Turner gave examples of his time in school, when he didn’t realize how hard being the first generation to be in a non-segregated college would be. However, because of teachers and others who believed in him, he and his classmates were able to find strength, he said.
Turner reminded the crowd that while King is remembered for his civil rights work, he also was a Baptist minister and a deeply spiritual man. He said that King was much like Moses, another spiritual leader who did not live to see his vision of a better life realized, but who worked tirelessly for the cause. |
| |
|
|
.jpg)
