BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. — Faith communities in Blue Springs and Independence remembered Martin Luther King Jr. Sunday with an ecumenical celebration — “Expanding the Dream Together: The 'We' Behind MLK.”
“If we are going to expand the dream together, we just can’t come once a year on Martin Luther King's birthday, but we must come together 365 days if we are going to dream the dream together,” one speaker said.
Music and words of wisdom filled the venue as attendees of all backgrounds and races listened.
“We should all have the same rights, the same abilities, the same freedom and the same responsibilities, too,” said Tom Worstell, minister of Blue Springs Christian Church.
Just the act of showing up was encouraging to Rev. Alphonso Davis of Mount Transfiguration Baptist Church.
“People coming together — that tells me there is a willingness where people can come and show love to each other and support one another's cause,” he said.
Speakers educated the audience on MLK while sharing their own personal experiences.
“We celebrate King not because of the injustice [but] because [of] the kind of man and person that he was,” said Alvin Brooks, civil rights activist. "I remember when I was 9 or 10 years [old] and police officers used to stop me, because I was with some white kids, and harassed me.”
Worstell says it's all about "being better humans," the result of the service hopefully encouraging future generations to bridge the racial divide and truly make a difference.
“We have to be a forgiving people and just look for reasons to bring people together, and as we look for different ethnicities to come together, we can be a better nation,” Davis said.
