by Kirby Lindsay, posted 13 January 2014
On Monday, January 20th, from 10a – 4p, at the Fremont Baptist Church, Fremonsters have a chance to take a ‘Day On, Not A Day Off’ and help with various service projects. The 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Day Of Service for Fremont, organized again this year by Ralph and Sarah Weathers, will also include some opportunities to learn about efforts made towards equality for all, and compassion for our fellow men.
Last year, at Doric Lodge #92, the first-ever Fremont MLK Day Of Service drew an unexpected flood of volunteers eager to learn more about service in our community, and to help assemble hygiene kits to be distributed world-wide following devastating disasters. This year, the organizers relocated the event to Fremont Baptist to be able to better accommodate attendees – and again provide food, fellowship and opportunities to learn and serve, to all.
A Personal Acknowledgement
During the Fremont MLK Day, following the free lunch served at Noon, Ralph Weathers, a member of both Doric Lodge and Fremont Baptist, is prepared to read the famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “It is a little raw at the start,” he warned about the images Dr. King creates, “it gets a lot more uplifting at the end.” As Weathers observed about the civil rights speech, “you can feel the pain,” experienced by people of color, “on a daily basis, just to live.”
Weathers welcomes the chance to share this historic document, and window into the struggle for equality, presented in 1963. Weathers grew up in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, where his family struggled to survive – including the tragic Watts Riots of 1965. He credits his survival in part due to neighbors who belonged to the Black Panthers. They taught him karate, to help defend himself, and Black Nationalism. They also guided him to enroll in the University of Oregon, and removing him from Watts. “They literally took me out of there,” he recently recalled. As for the move to Eugene, Oregon, “it was like being on a different planet.”
As far as Weathers is concerned, “America has done the greatest job, and had the greatest progress, of any country in racial equality. Things have changed since 1963.” Weathers has personally experienced changes, from his childhood spent in a segregated neighborhood, to an adolescent threatened by gang violence, and to choosing his wife Sarah, who is white. “When Sarah and I were at college, it was not uncommon for us to be physically attacked – in Eugene, Oregon,” Weathers exclaimed. He recalled carrying a knife, and one night having to ward off attackers while Sarah ran to safety.
“Things have drastically changed,” Weathers said, “the freedoms I have had in my lifetime are drastically changed.” He applauds efforts to create diversity, “it takes out the fear and lack of understanding.”
‘A Long Way To Go’
“There is still a long way to go,” Weathers observed, “his dream is not realized yet.” He hopes that by listening to the 1963 speech by Dr. King, attendees can see dramatic strides taken by our nation, as well as those remaining to be made.
“Society is still segregated to a degree,” Weathers observed, “but not like it used to be.” Today, financial, cultural, and social factors can keep people parted, where in 1975, when they first came to Seattle, Ralph and Sarah Weathers struggled to find housing that would accept them.
Diversity and acceptance have become much more common today, and with Fremont MLK Day, Weathers explained, “We want to create a buzz, to get people talking and discussing the whole world, and our community; to talk about things like civil rights and human rights, about compassion and understanding.”
Service will be a big part of the Fremont MLK Day of Service, with volunteers invited to pack hygiene kits, and welcome baskets of housewares for tenants of the low-income, Catholic Community Services’ Patrick Place Apartments. Volunteers will also be encouraged to step outside Fremont Baptist and do street clean-ups, if they prefer a more strenuous service activity.
However, Fremont MLK Day will also be about knowledge. After lunch, at 1p, in addition to the famous speech by Dr. King, Reverend Judy Gay will give a presentation on the late Nelson Mandela, and Christopher Carpenter of the Church World Service will present a short DVD, entitled ‘Heart to Heart’ on the importance and the use of the hygiene kits. Finally, the winner of this year’s Drum Major for Service Award will be announced.
“We’re advocating really positive values,” Weathers explained. To learn more about the Fremont MLK Day Of Service, visit the website. Local service organizations are welcome to provide information at this event, and volunteers will be needed to help throughout the day with organizational tasks.
Most especially, attendees are needed to stop by, help assemble a kit, donate new sheets and towels to Patrick Place Apartments, enjoy free lunch and listen to rousing speeches and informational presentations. To participate, show up at 717 N 35th Street on Monday, January 20th between 10a – 4p – for 20 minutes or the whole day! Make this a day on!
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©2014 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited.