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Martin Luther King III delivers message of hope in Waco
Just blocks from the Waco boulevard that bears his father’s name, Martin Luther King III delivered a message of hope tonight in struggling East Waco.
King told an audience of about 180 that poverty is the next frontier of social justice. “One thing my father talked about was the triple evils that needed to be eradicated: Poverty, racism and militarism,” King said. “In race we’ve made incredible strides. But in the area of poverty and militarism, we have made almost no progress.
“I believe that even in the midst of a financial crisis, we have the ability to come together and at least reduce, perhaps to wipe out poverty. Everyone in America ought to be able to have a decent home, a decent education and a decent job.”
King, the son of the slain civil rights icon and himself the founder of the Realizing the Dream organization, brought his group to Waco this week to discuss economic and social issues on the historically black east side. He was on a 37-city “learning and listening tour” to focus on poverty and economic development.
King will speak Thursdayday at 10:30 a.m. in Marlin at the Coach Carter Impact Academy. Waco events included a walking tour of East Waco on Wednesday, followed by an outdoor “East Waco Town Hall Meeting” under a tent on East Waco Drive, featuring King and city and community leaders.
“The first thing we want to do is ignite some hope in this area,” said Sophia Strother, founder of a small nonprofit group called Empowerment Driven by Knowledge, which brought King’s group to Waco. “It helps to have someone interested in us at a national level.”
Strother said King’s group will follow-up with a report recommending ways to bring new life to the area.
Strother said she hopes King’s visit will inspire constructive solutions for the revitalization of East Waco.
“My goal is not to play the blame game but to get everyday citizens involved,” she said. Other participants in the Town Hall meeting included District 1Councilman Wilbert Austin, City Manager Larry Groth, Mayor Virginia DuPuy and State Representative Doc Anderson.
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By CS
July 8, 2009 10:23 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Bad timing for this walking tour.