Panel discussion held as part of 2024 King Celebration activities in Gainesville
How to keep the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy alive was at the heart of a recent a panel discussion.
The discussion was held Wednesday at DaySpring Baptist Church and hosted by the MLK Commission of Florida during a town hall symposium as part of the annual King Celebration activities in Gainesville to celebrate the MLK National Holiday, which will be recognized on Monday.
Panelists included former Edna M. Hart Keeper of the Dream Scholarship Award recipients, King Commission Hall of Fame inductees and King Commission board members.
The discussion was moderated by
AuBroncee Martin, chief of Felony Division I in the Alachua County office of the 8th Judicial Circuit’s Office of the Public Defender, past president of the Josiah T. Walls Bar Association and honorary member of the King Commission.
“We want you to engage with us on what a legacy is,” Martin said. “What good is it if no one is there to accept it? We’re here to understand what its value is. We’ve assembled a wonderful panel to discuss it.”
Besides discussing how to keep King’s legacy alive, the panelists were also asked to discuss the legacy of the King Commission, which has been the primary organizer of King Celebration activities in Gainesville for 40 years. The theme of this year’s celebration is “King Commission: 40 Years of Legacy.”
Panelists included Christopher Chestnut, the 1998 Keeper of the Dream Scholarship recipient and CEO of Chestnut Funeral Home; Joni Perkins, the 2015 Keeper of the Dream Scholarship recipient and owner of NRG Consulting; Malcolm Kiner, the 1996 Keeper of the Dream Scholarship recipient and chief operating officer of the Gainesville Housing Authority; Rodney J. Long, president and founder of the King Commission and Philoron Wright, a retired educator, former assistant to the superintendent of the Alachua County School Board and former King Commission board member.
“The best way to move into the future is to provide scholarships to foster the next generation of leaders,” Martin said.
The King Commission has helped many local students understand the importance of keeping King’s legacy alive, Chestnut said.
“It was an honor to be affiliated with the MLK Commission of Florida Inc.,” Chestnut said. “Being exposed as a young person prepared us to go to college. I’ve learned about formal dining and learned about our history. Going to the banquet over the years helped me just as much as receiving the scholarship did.”
The scholarship comes with a level of responsibility, Perkins said.
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“I was thankful, but it came with a weight of duty,” Perkins said. “I had a duty to my community. Everything I did was to reinvest in my community because they did that to me.”
Receiving the honor was an extraordinary honor and he continues to live up to the standard of excellence that is expected of him to this day, Kiner said.
Hart was his next-door neighbor growing up and she was like a grandmother to him, Kiner said
It is important for adults to create a bridge of communication with the youth to know what is happening in their lives and to help them, Long said.
“We have to give them an opportunity to be heard,” Long said. “When we begin to listen, we can soon move to be on the same page.”
Wright, son of the late local civil rights leader Rev. Dr. T.A. Wright Sr., said he had the opportunity to speak to King in 1962 and 1968 when he attended Tennessee State University in Nashville.
“I had a chance to speak to him before he went to Memphis,” Wright said.
King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis on the second floor of the Lorraine Motel.
Wright said his passion for civil rights was inspired by his father, who he said studied and worked relentlessly for the equality of all people.
“He studied very hard about what society could be,” Wright said. “He studied the rights of all people. He put all his energy into it. He died empty because he gave everything to mankind.”
Wright thanked the panelists for their work in helping the community.
“The movement started from an opportunity of service,” Wright said. “Thank you for keeping the dream alive."
He urged the audience to continue the fight of civil rights leaders of the past.
“We have done a lot of good things, but we have a lot of work to do,” Wright said. “Let’s teach them (the youth) not to be ashamed to excel. Let’s push things of good value for our children. We have to leave that legacy for them. Be patient and put in the work you need to do.”