WEST HARTFORD — As a young boy growing up in Jamaica, Errol A. Smith watched televised images of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a growing sense of pride.
On Monday, he introduced his own children to King’s legacy by accompanying them to a forum at Town Hall.
“For kids, this is all far removed,” said Smith, 36. “But it’s important for the next generation to learn about these things.”
Smith’s children, 8-year-old Matthew and 6-year-old Ashley, sat quietly throughout the 90-minute program as speakers reflected on King’s message and recalled his multifaceted career as a civil rights leader, preacher, anti-war activist and defender of working people.
Those who stood at the lectern reminded the audience of more than 200 that King’s work is not done. “It is possible for each of us to change the direction of the nation,” said David Carter, president of Eastern Connecticut State University.
King’s legacy isn’t a relic to be dusted off and placed on a mantel once a year, Carter said. “Differences can be made by each one of us,” he said. “Dr. King did and so can we. … We should remind each other of our respective obligations to make this a better world.”
Carter dismissed the notion that humanity can be categorized by race. “There’s no black blood, no white blood, no Asian blood,” he said. “We are in the final analysis a single race.”
April Jackson, a student at Conard High School, acknowledged that living up to King’s standards can be difficult. When she sat down recently in the school cafeteria, she shared a table with a multicultural group of students. “But,” she said, “did we say hi? Did we ask one another how we were doing?”
Jackson said each individual must look within “the quiet divisions of your heart” and make King’s dream a reality.
Another student speaker, Ron Batson of Hall High School, invoked King’s commitment to fighting poverty. He asked the audience to join him in working to end hunger and homelessness.
The forum also featured performances by the Charter Oak Academy of Global Studies Chorus and the Hall High Jazz Combo. Rabbi Yitzchok Adler of Beth David Synagogue gave the opening prayer and the Rev. Keith A. Bolton delivered the closing invocation.
The first town-sponsored Martin Luther King Day program was held four years ago in a small, town hall meeting room. This year, the auditorium was filled to capacity for the event.
The event was organized by the West Hartford African American Social & Cultural Organization, the town, the school system, the Noah Webster House and the local community access channel.
