Hundreds lined the downtown streets of Columbia and the pews at John the Baptist Missionary Baptist Church Monday as the community came together to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The parade made its way from Citizens Bank on Main Street and concluded at the church, where the Marion County Branch 5309 of the NAACP held its annual celebration.
The celebration proved to be both powerful and moving as several performances honored the life and legacy of the late civil rights leader. The Marion County Mass Choir sang, the St. Luke Baptist Church Praise Team performed and Harry Magee Jr. recited an excerpt from King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
Guest speaker and Good Hope Baptist Church (Florence) Pastor Kevin Thomas’ message drew parallels between Bartimaeus, who was blind and given the gift of sight after calling out to Jesus in Mark 10:52, to the growing societal crisis in America today. He said somewhere along the way it has become cool not to speak out because doing so can be risky and have consequences.
“It has become cool to remain silent when a voice is what’s needed,” he said. “We are suffering not just as a country, but we are suffering as a people because some have chosen to remain silent when silence is no longer an option.”
Because Bartimaeus had the courage to speak out, he was rewarded, said Thomas, a Columbia native and graduate of East Marion.
“If Bartimaeus had failed to avail himself of opportunity, he would’ve remained blind until the day he died. He would have missed his opportunity to see because he would’ve chosen to remain silent,” he said.
With equality remaining a prevalent issue in America, Thomas said the only way to make progress is to continue shining light on the issues.
“We must take a page from blind Bartimaeus and understand that just because the world says hush, somebody must keep holding up the blood-stained banner. Just because the world says that’s enough, someone must continue to carry on the legacy of Dr. King,” he said. “Somebody must take it upon themselves to say that even though you’re trying to get me to hush, Jesus is passing by. We must understand there’s still plenty of work to be done. We must understand that in an instant we can be taken away from here. Now is not the time for us to be silent. Silence is no longer an option.”
Pictured Above: The Rev. Kevin Thomas, a Columbia native who now pastors a church in Florence, delivers the keynote address Monday. | Photo by Joshua Campbell
