welcome to the twenty seventh annual ashen martin luther king jr celebration in alabama where i am a member of first baptist church we we have a tendency to top back when people are talking speaking i don't know what use thinking if you don't talk back to me so let me get this from you again good afternoon there we go dave sales i am as you know we don't have to worry you guys got discovered so thank you so much for me i'm so glad you're here we appreciate that i want to say a special things to vision quest for the beautiful display of art were you guys hope you enjoy that give them a hand you found this a vision quest believe they can help build a new consensus that will prevent gun violence and foster a safe family families safe neighborhoods and safe towns where people come together and force us to hurt change is it's just great to see all these community members come together and put forming these great apps that we need to help take this place this community this world to the next level i would like to if you like to get involved there's a free workshop today so creative all mainstreet from three to five pm materials are provided so if you like your voice will be heard head over to the workshop louise restaurant is also helping with the vision quest project this week louise big give would donate the proceeds of any meal if you mention vision quest then that's a great thing that starts today and runs for a week so grab a bite at louise after this event and remember to mention vision quest  so i'm looking at what my next person in line is and i have to tell you the story so years ago there was a young man that came on to campus s o u campus and african american men and i hadn't seen him before and i said hey you haven't come to see me and he looked at me and he said well you haven't come to see me and i thought to myself you know i haven't and it really put a fire on the mice to me right then and they're realizing that i still have more work to do because we always have work to do right that young man is a german name matthew rentals he is in charge of their department at crater renaissance academy and he and his students or his students will be performing as we our first piece this afternoon and i looked at him and i laugh and i say you know ma i remember going to a concert and not one of those kids were born when i went the soci rhythm nation janet jackson to a rhythm nation so this is going to take me back guys i'm looking forward to it so how hard it is sometimes we do it as a labor of love but the poor everything together takes so many people so committed to this cause and i want to say thank you to all of them and throughout throughout the program i will announce our will give everyone's name so please bear with me as i'm giving them throughout the program but for right now i do want to specifically think i'll lead sponsor which is the aspen chamber of commerce and i want to thank a special thank you yes giv time they can sure she was able to step in and let us know when we were doing something rome which was quite often but you got us back on track and i just want to say thank you to kelsey and to sandra and to everyone from the chamber who's done so much to step in and make things work so well for our community with this program a speech set up for us to listen or it's speakers as you say set up for us to listen to the i have a dream speech if you haven't heard it and you haven't heard it sitting in the plaza i mean obviously we're not there we're not in one nine hundred sixty three wood in here sitting there but something about being downtown in the plaza listening to that speech listening to the way the worst vibrate off the buildings is incredible and you have done that please come with us and do it after the program i would love to have you also want to think about the armory you guys do such a great job for us with the randy voice the audio and the lightning in engineer the work that you do for us we appreciate so much you make a that's your fault you should go good food they take care of us they've taken care of us since october we get together in october to stop planning this work and we meet up until pretty much last week and  everyone else which is what you know we love what we do we love this program we love what we give to you and we hope that you love it back so coming out now we're honored to have a group with us the group great work plain folk let me hear it again know all right so i want to say again thanks to adam out of things to our house volunteers they have done such a great job for us let's give them a hand pl you know i mess up names so bad so bad when you hear me mess up your name yell it out there so how do we know it's right cynthia mclaren i mean no incentive for fifteen years i got that right christine norton cops to res so this year out theme in case you haven't seen it haven't heard it is let us be dissatisfied let us transform dark yesterdays into a bright tomorrows that's just such an  a way to think you know we don't have to think about things being in dark all the time we can think about what we can do to make them brighter and that's what we want you guys to think about if you're listening to things today when you leave this place to this da today when you think about what you're going to take out because listen martin luther king jr did not and the people that he worked wit and that turn this world around didn't do it for you to think about one day of the year they did it for you to think about and change their lives and that is what your mission is today that changed the lives of and changed a community in which you are part and make sure you continue to make it a better place i just want you to know that the last for part stands of that particular speech let us be dissatisfied and men were recognized that out of one blood god made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth we all one soon we get that in our here is the better we're going to be eight week program in which students create powerful written stories about themselves students showcase their collected works by reading each other's stories aloud and then reinforcing their shared our share human experience the primary objective of this program is to offer students and engaging self sustaining a supplement to a regular classroom and help them meet common core state standards in english and language arts for their particular grade level t our committee and he has brought this program to our tension today brett for rendel will be performing and dancing spirit performance group where interpret one of these stories for you it's called  and if there's a feeling to make you want to be a part of what's being presented to you brits going to dance that's going to be a performance from again that's i said dancing spirit and if there's something within you that makes you feel right now that every so often i feel low this dishtowel look down every so often i feel like maybe people are treating me in a lottery they should every so often i feel like people are being a kind in the human way if you feel a little bit of that every once in a while stand up and let your spirit be one with what you've seen from bret what you've seen from this group and what you seen from the story being told because we all need to understand that once again we're all one we're one big group and the more we help each other the better to be for us all  can be the best out there you believe in yourself you can do anything believe you are the best you can be the best everybody has something they're good at something they're bad and trust me you are let's keep that going for one more time i'm looking at that thinking there's no part of me when i was on a search gray would have come up with that so impressive that young man so impressed with the people as a part of that program let me just say this is incredible the only part that i still u the way he dances the movements he has and i think an eighty year old man can still move think it's just an incredible resource we have in him so thank you so much  so what you want to keep continue without thank you and say i'm a very big thank you to access for collecting food and clothing at today's event sas has been providing food housing warm and out yes let's give them a hand i'm sorry they are providing food housing warm and not essential services to jackson county's low income children families seniors and people with disabilities since one nine hundred seventy six and now we also want to ready we want to introduce from ashleigh middle school a video created by and starring ashley middle school students entitled keep the dream alive it was directed by ashley middle school instructor ross woods and i think you all will enjoy it so don't care how they said as long as they keep doing it keep it  us there's an old saying back home i'm sure you guys have heard it too that you know give me my flowers while i'm still living basically that means when you have something good to say about someone let them know it if you love them let them know what don't wait until it's too late and so this is one of those things so don't worry the names are about to say you guys aren't going anywhere but i people who are doing some great work so we think and then i'm going to do something else right afterwards that one of the names and if you want you can wait until everyone and they're all tyrone mirror ashton police department chief we ask that you stand molly mccarthy office of the united states senate or united states senator one riding please stan cor shakespeare festival executive director please stand starts at the end and also joe langley organ shakespeare festival educator and representative peter buckley p please help me in recognizing these great individuals continue standing continue standing for me because i wanted to ask one of the great things about such a community is that everyone does such a good work in trying to make their place better to make this place better to where we live and so i'm going to ask that if you work in the fields that these folks represent law enforcement politics culture wars education representing the arts please stand to be recognized with them as well stan for you so much thank you so much now i was going to do about i have to say this because i'm never really sure if this means we have progress or if we have regress sometimes me and she was so excited and she said to me i just want to say thank you or no i want to say congratulations i think you do it you're going to do a great job and don't worry about anything we're there and we're behind you i thought well that's kind of cool i don't know what you're talking about but thank you and she says well you do a great job sarah falls so i'm not quite sure where we put that cory but at least you what she was so i want to pass on to someone out there is one shop you have so while i have the lights up i want to recognize another group that i always recognize each year and that's our group that comes over from the veterans administration the white city and these are former or are our veterans and i want them to stand and be and if you if you have ever served in the military and served this country were pride as so many you have please stand up be recognized without  it they're incredible and i just want to say letter want to see you and know who you are because you never get to be seen always standing behind a background and i want everybody to see and know the work that you are doing with these young ladies and we appreciate everything that's not there anymore but then the second time i was able to just take it in and understand again what i already knew what so many people are given for us what so many people have given to make us equal in this world but they've given to give everyone an opportunity to say you have a right no one can take that right away but you and when you don't vote you've taken that right away we also like to think today sign interpreters julie simon his words but the same time he would let you know that it's not going to be that easy you know people are so not going to hand things over to you sometimes you've got to fight for what you want you have to fight for what's right and you have to continue on and you can step back because when you step that it gives others an opportunity to step over you so you want to be mindful of that and we're going to get that lesson today from our keynote speakers because they embody all that keen hope for all that keen saw and you'll see what i mean when you listen to these great individuals the group that's speaking for us today call universe universes body of work continues to change the face of life theatrical performances in america and abroad with their unique brand of soul storytelling universes creates theater that is polymor musical landscapes social advocacy and passionate commitment to truth revelation but i see a lot and i think we'll find all of that the members so universe  station now please give a hand for univers e here in ashland we're from new york city the projects of the south bronx lower east  show what that means she walk in shoes can tell you where i'm going but i'm walking down this lonely but at least the scenery is beautiful no matter what i do i can't stop walking no keep my little boy i was about six years old he came home from school crying and we were ready to fight whoever heard his heart and demand that he tell us what had happened he wrapped his tiny round his father's locks and looking into his eyes eyes drowning he said they killed martin luther king his words hit us deep and hard then and today as if it had just happened because in fact it had just happened to our little boy this horror had just happened it was a regular day in black history month and the school system was feeling empowered and ready to teach him about himself without the tears or knowledge of the pain they were exposing him to in that place and time and the school bell rang and he was sent home as if from a regular day at school in their eyes they had simply provided the facts we had been teaching him about dr king's love at our own pace teaching him to walk before he could run before he could march and we were interrupted with the truth about hate and suddenly it was time because our nation's ugliness never announces itself we have to deal with it when it comes they killed martin luther king he said my boy's eyes looked into mine looking for the answer  answer and i have to explain right now to him why they killed king and i have to have that conversation that conversation that conversation about race and hatred and slavery and discrimination and for little girls innocent like him about riots and rallies about marching and marching and marching and marching looking for freedom freedom and i was a dumb and the look in his eyes as he listens to all this information flooding his brain with this is what you're supposed to do when faced with a moment like this right you better tell him what's up you better tell him what the colors of his skin means you better tell him now it was a police officer tells them tells them bluntly brutally see love india as i see love a deep gaze that holds yesterday's eyes that hold on to the best of us as they see the worst of us and still there is love and hope and believe a love the will not budge will hold fast that can be bent but not broken to believe in that the arc of the moral universe really does bend toward justice and we held him in our arms knowing that this so this six year old heart would leave a mark and we held him close and his baby boy i listened and drowned in our horrible truth it was time for him to see his colors puerto rican and black black and puerto rican afro teano afro t no not have never had or one or the other but a whole and he smiled and we smiled and he ran to his room to play with his lego's and watch sesame street and we sighed a temporary sign of relief but we mock this moment of innocence lost paradise lost one day fifteen years ago in black history month when with this conversation come up again ode to thing that horrible kind of soon when he sees his father pulled over for driving while black or those ugly kinds of stews where we see young brown boys and girls beaten and sharp are police on t v well you have to sit him down again and again and again and again and tell him how to handle himself public how to dress because goodies on brown boys are threatening and don't eat skittles and don't have a pot or wallet and don't run and take the arrest and hands up hands up hands or hands up it is not that you can say there's no way you can physically move to hide him or shield her from the nation's truth we try to move from our birthplace of life on the streets of the branson on the wayside where being a minority means something completely different to moving to the road valley were being in the minority whole other set of problems the road valley where the kindness of revolutionary hearts and the arts create a false sense of security and even in the act of making art this artistic community struggles with struggles with its own internal conflict tires tirelessly we fight for more diversity and more inclusion a better us difficult conversations of privilege or lack thereof and all the while our children watch and listen from the sidelines waiting for us to walk together our son our children quietly watching and waiting to walk i tell you when you've got a made up even though winter feels like summer time in the night just see the moving through and belonging to so many worlds on our journey and we take a plane back home to new york we have to pick up our step remind ourselves how to walk the walk and talk the talk let's we love our swag in the valley and black panthers and young lords and artist of war sorts across this country have helped shape our boy and even when we march and scream and shout he remains calm want to get waiting to feel good in free to see everyone happy treated fairly waiting for this world to understand how his mom not white and his dad is black and it upsets him when there are questions and he still believes because we speak our truth out loud we have nothing to hide he believes in our community here there and everywhere we call home that they are ready to love like dr king and ready to fight like dr king and as we write this speech to the tune of  almost fifty years ago and already changing martin luther king asked a question we need to accept when we go from here this is from a but the king that was tired of the injustices of racism inequality poverty war and  every year on m l k day and see that little six year olds and we believe he's proud of his hair and his skin and his heart and we hope the path will not be too difficult he's got his walking shoes on their lace up time and we believe he will walk for peace when he's ready because it's his nature and we believe he will speak out when he is this satisfied because he has learned his voice from ours the king was dissatisfied in one thousand nine hundred sixty seven in his where do we go from here speech he made it known that he was dissatisfied and he charged us to do the same he said let us be dissatisfied it's who america we're no longer have a high blood pressure of creed and in anemia of deeds let us be this satisfied to the tragic wars that separate the outer city of twelve and comfort from the inner city of poverty and despair should be pressured by the battering rams of the forces of justice let us be this that those who live on the outskirts of hope or brought into the metropolis of daily security let us be let us be this that or into men and women however black they may be will be judged on the basis of the content of their character not on the basis of the color of their skin let us be that day when nobody will shout white power when nobody will shout black power but everybody will talk about its power and human power where do we go from here he we need to walk with them know we need to keep that going guys thank you so much so exciting so wonderful i told you to have some left and a great work great work with a son about this type of atmosphere i tell people that you know i went to one type of one type of m l k celebration begin being from selma you you go and all your grandmother tell you to go you go so that's what i have to do but something about this celebration for me is where i think that's what i'm talking about that's what i mean all different colors all different nationalities all different races all different people coming together as one and being brought together with such a wonderful wonderful keynote i can't tell you how signing this form in i'm deluxe company for to maintain and maintenance scuse me about beautiful street banner for those who you know i'm talking about if you're going through the plaza going through downtown you see the band and it stretches from one end of the street to the other and that is done for us each for her beautiful design that you see on the t shirts on all just incredible were so amanda thank you so much background on the hotline of school is pretty much in nowhere the ole tennessee somewhere between now i can set an hour from nowhere bill alabama so somewhere between chattanooga and nashville on the road you pass right through there don't blink but you're pass right through there these two gentlemen decided that they need to put together school about social justice and train people in the workings of social justice and some of their graduates include martin luther king jr some of the graduates include rosa parks some of the graduates and clue the names that we know as major key civil rights figures now want you to this school to teach these types of principles one of those gentlemen that was a part of that work was a guy named guy carroll when he became the musical director after  replacing i forget the lady's name but replacing her and part of the thing that he is most remembered for we lost a guy this year in two thousand and fifteen and part of the thing that he's known for is teaching the we shall overcome song to so many of the activists that became that came out of that program and he can be remembered as the person who really put that song to the forefront when the student nonviolent coordinating committee had its very first organizing meeting guy i was the one who sing that song to them and made it a rallying cry for them and something they continued on snick continued on when i just think that's important to think about our history and to know how individuals of all colors were responsible will remember in your heart when you think about the civil rights pro movement please don't think of it as a black movement and never was it was not a white movement it was a movement of people and people made the changes that came about in this country people made the changes that ows that our keynote speaker was talking about i really i thought it was just me when i got on a plane and went back home but yeah you're right you know you got to watch your step again so i want to think say that for you rights movement leaders sports figures everyone who we think has something to do with changing the way we see things today so if you would enjoy the song show your love and at the same time remember those that we have lost so  famous stages and warm up here thank you universe's beautiful we love you you know we've gotten so much support and we get it each year and again just the people who it takes to run these things and i just want to say thank you for the video support please your me and think you live at the arm now talking about the harlem school made me think about how those founders kept such a place going in that time in rural tennessee it was actually shut down by the state at one point which show you that when you are determined to keep something right going you can keep it going when you determine you can make it happen and so what we can be determined in today is to help that we need to that jingles but it sure would be nice to have that money that folds and we asked when you can and what you can to help us as you are leaving to help keep this program going to help keep this event happening no one takes anything else for as any pay or anything like that we just use it to keep these types of things going the lights and what have you make sure this is going on and so if you can help us out help the community out in that sense and if we can't as long as you keep going we understand we want you here we love you and we hope to continue the program going so this time we want to take opportunity for you guys to to know who's responsible for a lot of work but who's also excited about being asked to do some of this work and c s d m l k celebration plan john john's been with us before john is actually one of the freedom riders he took part in the freedom rides doing and in one nine hundred sixty and i just want to say thanks again good to see you again here do in order for us to keep for the kids who are performing this kind of keep time where they're asking that you don't clap yet you can collapse when it's over but don't clap while the performance is go on over but in your head these students came together just for this performance and i'm looking forward to it so when no other do the revolution will not be televised you will not be able to stay home will not star justin bieber or amy poehler or miley cyrus and her tour the revolution will not make you smile like a man the revolution will not be the revolution will not make you look ten years younger every so often you get young people that they come into a room of a committee and they get quiet or they really don't say anything because the grown folks are doing all the talking grown folks but these two young ladies hav such a major part of our committee the work that they've done the ideas they've had and the way that they've set things up and told us what we should be doing which i really like that they've been really an honor to have those on  those two young ladies on the committee and i just want to knowledge them so i want to say that it is no secret to most people that dr king's favorite performer was a gospel singer gospel singer about a name of mahalia jackson and he said that she had  voice that came alone only once in a millennium and when he was speaking over he had her sing at the march on washington and his parents asked her to sing at his funeral one of the singing and what do you do when you're a civil rights leader and harry jackson gets up and starts singing you stand back and you let her sane and it was one of the great moments if you ever see it as she starts singing fit the battle of jericho and it was just an incredible image to see king and the joy in king's on as he was listening to her and the whole building start singing well right now members of the oregon state spirit company are here to perform for you a piece that my how you meet famous and that is the troubles of the world and the a sightly that he felt i feel right now because the voices that we hear they they've been with us before and they blessed us before they're singing and i'm so excited to have them here again so ladies and gentlemen the  don't know what we're calling the organ shakespeare gospel choir that sounds good with here but boy something let me tell you that was that it that takes me back to outstanding work standing as close to getting ready behind me again i was speakers have have mentioned they did so beautifully what i said before to about kimi can it necessary for you to understand that things don't always come easy and in a speech  he said i must confess my friends that the road to hit would all always be smooth there would be rocky places of frustration think about it at that time less than a year from then that would be true in his own life and his life be taken seems so often that he will speak about things something about the words of dr king when they come out that you think wait a minute is he talking about today to someone just write those wor but when someone is touch with that gift those words live on and we can use the words each and every day in our lives that's what makes his day so special key would be the first person to tell you in fact he were the first person to tell you that it was not he that made changes but it was the people the people of the communities that made the change the put soldiers as he called them tentative one the generals it was the foot soldiers that made a change in the battle that they had to have in order to get us where we are today and so each one of you need to keep that in mind continuously that you will always and can always be that person to make a difference you don't need anybody else you can keep reaching for and trying to pull out of people but you don't need anybody else as long as you continue on you can make a change don't forget that don't leave here this day forgetting that please remember the words if you take anything away take those words i want to say  deeds how do people of faith ken the common friday years fires of justice for bright tomorrow and so we are continuing with the theme going into this evening and if you have the opportunity please come and to in our show tonight this afternoon i should say it's almost a night i went  we have a band from our group scuse me from venice beach california i've had a chance to listen to this group and i'm so impressed you know first thing i thought was who actually and i really think you would enjoy this group if you have not heard of them they're calling the luminaries that heard them open somehow yeah and they are here tonight they're also going to be performing tonight here at the armory so if we go so well and thanks so much again for the luminaries coming as we prepare to in this day please give your full attention and i think you're really going to enjoy what you're about to hear