King Day marked with protests against war ( 2004-01-20 09:28) (Agencies)
Americans observed Martin Luther King Day on
Monday with some activists charging that the war in Iraq and other Bush
administration policies run counter to what the civil rights leader stood for.
"We have to be concerned not just about us. We have to be
concerned about all our brothers and sisters throughout our nation and world,"
King's son Martin Luther King III said in a service at Ebenezer Baptist Church,
where his father preached until he was assassinated in 1968.
"How many Iraqi children have been killed? When will the war end? We all have
to be concerned about terrorism, but you will never end terrorism by terrorizing
others."
At events across the nation, Americans were urged to work to realize King's
dream of peace and equality. King Day activities included an affirmative action
rally in Michigan, volunteering campaigns in Washington and Philadelphia, and a
Florida protest against a speech by the president's brother.
Criticisms of President Bush popped up in several places.
In Boston, the first woman bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church,
the Rev. Vashti Murphy-McKenzie, said the nation should adjust its priorities.
"We can find billions of dollars to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan and we
cannot find the money to rebuild the infrastructure of the United States,"
Murphy-McKenzie said.
Back in Atlanta, King's widow, Coretta Scott King, said: "Peaceful ends can
only be reached through peaceful means."
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin brought forth a hearty standing ovation when
she referred to a visit Bush made last week to King's tomb. The visit was
picketed by nearly 800 people who said the president should not have come
because his policies are inconsistent with King's principles of nonviolence.
Referring to the president, Franklin said, "Perhaps some prefer to honor the
dreamer while ignoring or fighting the dream."
But amid the criticisms, there was a tone of hope. Martin Luther King III
told congregants that his father would have wanted people to work together for
peace and justice even when they seem impossible to achieve.
"He had a policy of zero tolerance for despair and cynicism," King said.
At the University of Michigan, hundreds marched in support of the school's
affirmative action policy. The policy is under fire from a group that wants
voters to decide the issue in a Nov. 2 referendum.
In Tallahassee, Fla., a group of college students protested the holiday
speech by Gov. Jeb Bush, the president's brother. Gov. Bush was invited to speak
at historically black Florida A&M University, but students unhappy with his
policies walked out before his remarks. The students criticized his views on
affirmative action, among other things.
The governor said the students have every right to express their views. He
also said Florida A&M's success "could not have occurred without the
struggles that Dr. King and many others a generation ago undertook."
In Washington, volunteers helped the homeless, delivered meals to homebound
people and took part in other projects, saying the best way to honor King's
legacy was to give back to the community. Thousands in Philadelphia participated
in similar of acts of community service.
"We have to be concerned not just about us. We have to be
concerned about all our brothers and sisters throughout our nation and world,"
King's son Martin Luther King III said in a service at Ebenezer Baptist Church,
where his father preached until he was assassinated in 1968.
