A sizable crowd gathered at Ebeneezer Baptist Church on Willie Bailey Street in Eatonton Monday afternoon, in preparation for a short march to the Putnam County Courthouse and back in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
Leading the procession were members of Eatonton’s Boy Scouts of America Troop 0132, who served as color guard for the event, followed by approximately 150 marchers, including several prominent Eatonton and Putnam County citizens and officials.
Among those marching were Eatonton Mayor John Reid and his wife and city councilmember, Janie Reid, alongside newly installed city councilmember
Michael Smith, Sr., County Commissioner Daniel Brown, and many pastors and church leaders from several local ministries.
Upon returning to Ebeneezer Baptist, most marchers remained for a moving and sincere, often rousing ceremony featuring about a dozen speakers, as well as the church’s choir and live musicians, led by Lethonia Benekin and Cecil Kilgore, respectively, who provided continuous, complementary accompaniment to the speakers.
After Pastor Frederick Lowe of Zion Covenant Fellowship provided an opening prayer, Pastor Wayne Griffin Sr. from St. John A.M.E. gave a brief scripture reading before Ebeneezer Baptist’s own Reverend Katherine Ware welcomed everyone to her domain.
New city councilor Smith, Sr., then spoke about the occasion of MLK Day and why it continues to remain an important touchpoint for the nation at large. Smith’s teenage son, Michael, Jr., then delivered a moving excerpt from Dr. King’s famous and emotional “I Have a Dream” speech.
Further involving Eatonton-Putnam’s younger generation, Rashawd Ford of Jaroc Ministries presented an inspiring interpretive dance that spurred spontaneous applause several times throughout his performance. Following him, 14-year-old Rachel Hurt gave a poised and impassioned reading of part of King’s equally famous and inspiring “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” address.
After another brief musical interlude from the Ebeneezer Baptist choir, Reverend Alexander Banks, assistant pastor at Zion Covenant Fellowship Church, then gave a nearly 20-minute speech of his own, much of it written as he sat waiting on the podium, he said, as he was moved by the spirit of the day to address the assembled congregation.
Essentially, Banks traced a history of Black oppression in America, from outright slavery to continuing diminishment at the hands of modern-day citizens and politicians in high office who appear bent on fomenting racial discord. He warned everyone needs to remain vigilant.
“All I’m simply trying to tell you is we are not going to continue to build upon the work of those that came before us,” Banks said. “Rosa Parks, Dr. King, until we get the right people where they need to be, there’s going to be a fight for all.”