Faced with the challenges wrought by climate change, now is the time for community unity, an Albuquerque-area Freemason said during a local gathering in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.
Eddie Lee Bell Jr. of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Prince Hall Masons in New Mexico and listed as senior warden on the website of Mt. Everest Lodge No. 1 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was part of a gathering in the city Monday. He spoke before the hundreds who gathered at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and University Boulevard Northeast for a solidarity march, as reported by KOAT 7 ABC.
"Coming out of these environmental issues we've had over the last couple of years, it's very important we have unity in our community, so we don't make the same mistakes we have in the past," Bell said. "Through unification and building coalitions, we can honor the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King."
Dr. Martin Luther King's life and legacy were honored in Albuquerque on his birthday Monday.
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Born in Atlanta in 1929, King was the son of a Baptist preacher, and he received a doctorate degree in theology before 1955, when he organized the successful Montgomery bus boycott. King's policy of nonviolent resistance was influenced by Mohandas Gandhi, who used the same strategy a generation before in an ultimately successful campaign to win India's independence from British rule.
King many times used his skills as a talented orator, including one of his most famous speeches, best known as his "I have a Dream" speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963. On April 4, 1968, King was in Memphis, Tennessee to support striking sanitation workers when he was assassinated while standing on a balcony of the Lorraine Motel. He was 39.
Also addressing the solidarity marchers in Albuquerque on Monday was Laquinia Chenault, who referred to King's legacy and influence on the day's gathering.
"We wouldn't see all these groups of people gathered together like this if it wasn't for his mission," she said, according to KOAT. "I want people to understand that education is the foundation to everything, and knowledge is power. This is a form of education when we're still able to recite Martin Luther King's words here today. We're proud to be here and proud to support."
Lena Celestine of the Grand Chapter Order of the Eastern Star also spoke about King's legacy.
"Dr. King did a lot for not only our people, but for the entire world in trying to promote peace and unity," Celestine said. "As individuals we need to continue to follow that dream and try to live up to it. [We have] made some strides but we still have a long, long way to go."
