FAYETTEVILLE — Trey Smith, a volunteer and junior at Fayetteville High School, spent Monday, and also the past year, living up to one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s key teachings.
Smith belongs to the Northwest Arkansas Martin Luther King Dream Keepers, along with other local teens who volunteer through a variety of community service projects, such as street cleanups, visits to elderly homes and helping out at local food pantries.
“One of Dr. King’s philosophies was that service to many leads to greatness,” Smith said. “So we feel as Dream Keepers, we’re here to serve people because it’s important to give back to the community.”
Monday’s national holiday encouraged hundreds in the Fayetteville community to partake in a variety of events celebrating the life of King and his call to community service.
The day ended with more than 500 people gathering at the 17th annual Recommitment Banquet hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Council at the Fayetteville Town Center. President Barrack Obama’s inauguration had many talking about what King would say today.
King would be encouraged by the progress toward civil rights over the last few decades, but he would also continue to look forward, said John Jones, director of diversity affairs at the University of Arkansas’ Center for Multicultural and Diversity Education.
“There’s more for us to do and the work has not been completed,” Jones said. “There’s a part each of us has to play in moving the nation forward toward equality for all.”
Smith said Dream Keepers helped with all the day’s activities, including the morning youth prayer breakfast, a street march to the University of Arkansas’ Student Union and a noon vigil.
August marks King’s Million Man March and this year also marks the 150th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Obama used Bibles owned by King and Lincoln during his inauguration ceremonies.
“One hundred and fifty years ago black people were slaves until the Emancipation Proclamation,” Smith said. “It would have been unfathomable to think that in Dr. King’s day we have a black president who was inaugurated for his second term. It’s really symbolic and really amazing to think about.”
Pastor Marcus Carruthers of The Dwelling Place in Fayetteville said during the banquet another of King’s teachings was to maximize life’s moment. Life has no pause button or rewind, he said.
“Serve others. Reach up and reach out to truly make a difference,” Carruthers said.
Kiera Brown, a university sophomore studying journalism and communications, said she felt inspired thinking about King and watching the president, the nation’s top public servant.
“As a young African American student, it’s inspiring to see Obama on this day,” she said. “It makes you want to do more. I want to be a better student and volunteer more and follow Obama’s lead to make our nation better than what it is now.”