MLK Legacy Marches on in San Antonio 2017

by Sonja Harris on January 19, 2017 at 9:58 AM

San Antonio celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the Martin Luther King, jr March on January 16, 2017 while laying claim to having the largest such march in the USA. A record number of 300,000 were predicted, but the rainy weather kept many from marching choosing to stay home and watch it on TV. The Spirt of the March, which is based on Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy, still holds true. Most of the people marching come to celebrate MLK’s life and are filled with pride. Black people should be proud of their accomplishments: black president, black legislators, black mayors including Mayor Ivy Taylor of San Antonio, a multitude of black actors and actresses, and black dominance in sports.

MLK was an honorable man, a man filled with compassion for his people who dreamed the incredible dream of one day being equal with every man. MLK once said, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.” This is true for everyone. But in the society that has become complacent with ‘sound bites’ and social media it is more and more difficult for those not educated to become knowledgeable. It seems that celebrities have more influence than do parents, ministers, pastors or people in authority: the police.

Unfortunately, there are still those who continue to live in the past. Senator John Lewis, while a pioneer in the civil rights movement, should have the courage to move forward and embrace the future in America. Education is the key to growth and prosperity. Diversity is a common word used in the vocabulary of the black community leaders but in essence diversity is exactly what is lacking. Why was Dr. Marc Lamont Hill asked to speak at the San Antonio march? He recently voiced his opinion on TV by saying, “Mediocre negroes being dragged in front of TV as Photo-Op for Trump.” This is the opinion of someone who is not prepared to embrace the future and who is deeply lacking of tolerance. MLK once said, “Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” Shouldn’t the black community be introduced to diverse speakers, from men and women like Sheriff David Clarke, Mia Love, Ben Carson, Will Hurd or Allen West? Yes, education in our black communities tempered with understanding and love must take place to truly have balanced diversity.

Hatred cannot be the future in the black communities. Black lives do matter but so do blue lives and the unborn, all lives matter. A banner by the San Antonio Family Association was singled out by a spectator as a ‘racist’ banner, while the support Planned Parenthood signs were not.

If Republicans really want to be part of the black community, then participation is a must. It was truly refreshing to see Texas House Speaker Joe Straus and US Texas Senator John Cornyn arm in arm marching with other community leaders. Congressman Will Hurd was interviewed during the march.

The late Reverend R. A. Callies, a Baptist minister and civil rights activist, was the man who inspired the San Antonio MLK march. He was also the person who worked towards having a statue honoring MLK erected at the MLK Plaza in 1981. It’s a small plaza in front of an HEB in the eastside of San Antonio at the intersection of E. Houston and N. New Braunfels.

The one important thing that has been overlooked is the artist that sculpted the statue. The artist was Dr. Jose Acosta Torres, a Mexican immigrant, who recently died at 89 years. He earned four degrees and a PHD and taught at San Antonio College and St Edwards University. He volunteered during WWII and earned a Purple Heart after being wounded in Okinawa. What great men they were, Callies and Torres. They had a dream and they lived out their American dream...