Midlanders Honor The Spirit Of Doctor King

By: Matthew Farrell

Updated: January 22, 2013

MIDLAND -- People began to line up for a freedom march at Mount Carmel Baptist Church about 6:00 Monday evening.

"We're here to say 'right on, Martin Luther King!' We stand with you whether you're here or not," Irma Maulmontri, a volunteer at the event, told Big 2.

That was the general feeling Monday evening as people started lining up for the freedom march in honor of Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.

The point was to give the community a chance to see what it would have been like to march for freedom in the days of Doctor King.

For Maulmontri, the legacy Doctor King left is one of selflessness and offering yourself to the community.

"Our place is to volunteer, help those less fortunate than ourselves, that we can acheive and be the people that Martin Luther King stood up for and Barack is still standing for," Maulmontri continued.

For James Fuller, fulfilling Doctor King's dream is an ongoing process.

"It was 50 years ago that Doctor King gave his 'I Have A Dream' speech. It's an important time to realize that that dream has not come to fruition. We're still working on it," Fuller said.

Many in attendance spoke of the parallels that exist as President Obama took his oath on a day honoring Doctor King.

The march led the group to the Lee Freshman High School Auditorium, where festivities included a speech from a special guest: Big 2's own Stephanie Sobic.

Then an MISD educator was honored with the MLK Community Service Award by the community she has called home for almost 30 years.

Mary L. Johnson received the award and just hopes this will make her an example to the kids in the community, and inspire them.

Organizers say they wanted to target the youth in the community with Monday's events and for one young Midlander named Davion, it's clear Doctor King inspired him.

Davion told us that he wants to be President when he grows up and thanks to Doctor King, that may one day be a possibility.

The spirit of community filled the air, along with choirs and poetry from some young Midlanders.

Organizers say the event was a complete success and were pleased with the huge show of support from the community.

To quote some of the attendees: "Doctor King would be proud."