KENT – Dozens of people gathered at Arts on the Lake in Kent Lakes Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King by commemorating the timeless values he taught through courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service.
A program led by Linda Paris and Ixmucane Pereira stressed that the day commemorates the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness, and nonviolence that empowered King’s revolutionary spirit.
Paris, who celebrates her birthday on the same day Dr. King was born, told the gathering, “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a national holiday, should not be a day off but a day on—a day for service, to give back to your community, become involved in community building and to network with friends and strangers alike.”
Paris called on residents of Putnam County to “build bridges. People are being snatched off the streets in Brewster and as far away as Minnesota. We all must become more neighborly. This is what happened in Nazi Germany. If people don’t like that label, don’t act like a Nazi. As Dr. King noted: ‘It may be true that the law cannot change the heart but it can restrain the heartless.”
State Senator Peter Harckham attended the gathering describing Dr. King as “one of our country’s most transformative figures. We continue to honor his legacy today by working towards a more free, fair, and equitable society for all.”
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