Show Students Urged to H lJ By Crystal Lowder Writer Staff f fOn On Wednesday January 15 talked to Salt 2003 two speakers Lake Community College students students students stu stu- dents and faculty about issues America even after still pressing Movement The the Civil Rights the movement was led in Luther by reverend Dr Martin Luther celebrated celebrated celebrated cele cele- birthday we King Jr whose on January The first speaker was Dr Vigil A. A Wood He immediately l the audience comprised comprised com com- initiated to 4 t- t y of people of all races the 1 r Luther King Jr work of Martin of the work was was- finished but Americans in abolishing racism was just the beginning to todo todo todo King had 13 short years do all that he did in his professional professional professional and ministerial care career His it and wide deep is so impact Wood simply boggles the mind said 3 Wood made a proposition to the audience I 1 would hope that everyone of you ask yourself batin batin bat batin who's vho's on base and who's on that must be in this game played Wood said in reference to American taking action Ask yourselves against racism where am I 1 in building this beloved community Dr Wood was one of three a march of men to organize people on Boston Commons in 1965 The other two involved were Dr Martin Martini i Luther King Jr and Dr Ralph Abernathy Wood also organized the state of Virginia for the historic historic historic his his- March in in Washington August of 1963 when King delivered his I 1 Have a Dream Dream- speech Wood told audiences about family lived in an the time his affluent neighborhood and what it was like for them Each of the homes were mill million dollar homes Every holiday our picture I window would be broken ne commented Wood said for years he blamed the act on racism until the year the police caught the offenders who were two youths ages 14 and 15 The parents of the two teenagers were brought astonishment in and to Woods' Woods behind the the boys' boys reason events wasn't racism The teenagers had been left home holiday and in alone on every turn were taking out their frustration frustration frustration frus frus- and problems on their neighbors Wood commented his role became different as hein he a n vile 1 in n watched the ne family recon 11 his own living room He realized then he could love America for this was not an act of racism Wood went on to describe Martin Luther King Jr as Americas love connection Five years before his death King declared war on poverty and it is still not resolved Poverty can be solved he commented As ayoung a ayoung ayoung discovered this young man Wood lave ave avea a Dream d V 4 V 6 Y t a Gr J 4 x w N ara g Rl k j w n U Un his ideas in Boston A d resented v allU p before King himself He shook my hand and placed his hand on my shoulder and said I I dont don't think we should go to Washington we should go to Wall Street But we cant can't do it now You hold on to that He has ever since Poverty is an event occurring occurring occurring occur occur- ring all over the world and Wood urged the audience to limit their Photo By Suzanne possessions We are an affluent nation We do not use our affluence affluence affluence ence to improve our strength he commented He claimed socialism socialism socialism social social- ism and capitalism had close parallels parallels parallels par par- but said the Middle Class is slipping through the cracks and referred to the few individuals See DREAMS on page 4 1 DREAMS continued from page 1 I Iwho who make most of the money through deals and swindling in our society On removing oneself for the poverty level Wood said the first requirement is a conversion of the heart to the fact that there are bad things to hate and good things to nurture in our country In reference to the contradictory concepts of economics of scarcity ty and abundance Wood quoted his grandmother as saying God never made a mouth he couldn't feed Wood told the audience of his book The Beloved Economy that proposes economic answers to such problems as the conflicts in Nigeria In his book Wood says I too have a dream a message from yesterday As we celebrate him we honor his dream with a new opportunity to get into the game Wood said King inspired him to study poverty but not out of a book he wanted to learn by going to the slum and meet people people people peo peo- living there By studying individuals Wood learned by seeing He commented on racism and defined it as an artificial construct pretending to be a real real- ity There is no hope until America gets together Wood proposed every household of every class and race should hold holda a kitchen table summit on the subject of racism and talk of har har- mony The world isn't at a point where we can say we live in peace Our country is discussing war and our troops are being sent to protect others War is never necessary Wood insisted he compared war to a divorcing couple and commented America should now see what it is were we're missing America should take the opportunity to see its options as a divorcing couple does Wood said if King were still alive his work would pick right up where he left it which Wood insisted was not a compliment to our society In the name of Martin Luther King I suggest that we weare weare weare are either not in the game or on some base he said After the speech audience members were eager to meet Wood and share their concerns about racism and war Wood was more than gracious to talk to everyone and was immediately as lively and likable in person as ashe ashe ashe he was at the podium Immediately after Woods Wood's speech came Bryan Barrows III he brought the historical side of the Civil Rights Movement to life through the one man play Who was Martin Luther King Barrows enacted the earliest earliest earliest ear ear- liest Civil Rights Movements from Rosa Parks' Parks sit-in sit to Martin Luther Kings King's I Have a Dream speech in which Barrows set down his cane and hat and rose to the podium In a moment his face and voice became a reproduction reproduction reproduction of King and the audience was taken back to the day the year and the place Everyone who attended the conference left feeling like the dream could become a reality But as Wood admonished i its s snow now our our turn to act on the dream |