2013 Commemorative Book
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Dr. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. COALITION-HAWAI’I Hawaii Celebrates 25th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Holiday Souvenir Booklet January 21, 2013 http://mlk-hawaii.com 1 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition – Hawai`i 2013 Officers: Patricia Anthony . President Lee Gordon . Vice President Juliet Begley . Secretary William Rushing . .Treasure Co-Sponsor: City & County of Honolulu Event Chairs: Candlelight Bell Ringing Ceremony: Marsha Joyner & Rev. Charlene Zuill Parade Chairs: William Rushing & Pat Anthony Unity Rally: Jewell McDonald Vendors: Juliet Begley Webmaster: Lee Gordon Coalition Support Groups: African American Association Hawaii Government Employees Association Hawaii National Guard Hawaii State AFL-CIO Hawaiian National Communications Corporation Headquarters US Pacific Command ‘Olelo: The Corporation for Community Television Kappa Alpha Phi Fraternity State of Hawai`i United Nations Association of Hawaii – Hawaii Division United States Military University of Hawaii Professional Assembly Booklet Editor: MarshaRose Joyner Copyright: Hawaiian National Communications Corporation, 2013. All rights reserved. 2 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Coalition – Hawai`i 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS Holiday Calendar . 4 Nagasaki Peace Bell . .. 5 Bell Ringing Ceremony January 1, 1863 . ... 7 One Hundred Years of Struggle . 8 March on Washington . 10 Equality Hawaii . 14 To Dream the Impossible Dream . .. 15 Grand Marshal . .. 19 Importance of the Holiday . 21 Senator Daniel K. Inouye . .. .23 Mahalo. 24 3 The 25th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Calendar Friday January 18, 2013- Noon The Queen & Dr. King Concert with The Royal Hawaiian Band I’olani Palace Grounds Sunday, January 20, 2013 Annual Bell Ringing Ceremony 5:30 p.m. Nagasaki Peace Bell Honolulu Hale Civic Grounds Lauhala & Beretania Streets Monday, January 21, 2013 The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Parade and Unity Rally The parade begins 9am at Magic Island and ends at Kapiolani Park – the Unity Rally follows. 4 NAGASAKI PEACE BELL – HONOLULU The Annual Bell Ringing Ceremony Sunday January 20, 2013 – 5:30 pm Please join us! "We are deeply moved and very much gratified that the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Coalition has chosen to hold its annual bell-ringing ceremonies at the Nagasaki Peace Bell to honor the birthday of the American Nobel Peace prize awardee." said Katsuichi Fukahori, leader of the Nagasaki Bell Presentation Committee delegation and an atomic-bomb survivor. The Nagasaki Peace Bell is a gift to the people of the City and County of Honolulu from the survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and their supporters. Recognizing that true steps to peace must begin with acknowledgment of harmful actions in the past, the survivors in Nagasaki wished to make a gesture of reconciliation to the people of the city of Honolulu, which sustained a military attack by their country on December 7, 1941. Working through the organizing efforts of the Congress Against Atomic- and Hydrogen-Bomb Committee of Nagasaki and the Nagasaki Prefecture Hibakusha Membership Association, these victims began a lengthy process of raising funds and negotiating with the mayor and the city council-of Honolulu for acceptance and placement of the peace bell monument at a location acceptable and appropriate for the general public. Through mutual efforts the groups in both cities saw the success of the project in the dedication ceremony which took place on December 7, 1990 on the grounds near the city hall, Honolulu Hale, when the peace bell was rung for the first time to the great satisfaction of the delegation of sixty or more of the Nagasaki Hibakusha in attendance. Since that date the bell has been sounded on August 9 of the year and on the day observing the birthday of the American peacemaker and promoter of non-violence, Martin Luther King, Jr. Additionally, it has become the site of observances of important occasions in the continuing struggle to end the production and use of 5 nuclear weapons. There are two other peace bell monuments of the same design, which were given to the city of Leningrad (now once more St. Petersburg), Russia and to a city in Manchuria, which felt the brunt of the Japanese military action. In 1996 the Nagasaki Hibakusha reaffirmed their commitment to the spirit of the bells by sending each of the three cities a gift of $10,000 for the maintenance of the monuments. At the base of the monument a plaque is inscribed with the following message: Nagasaki, the city devastated by the bitter tragedy of a nuclear bomb, dedicates this Nagasaki bell as a symbol of the rebirth of Nagasaki and the desire of its citizens for peace in the future through sincere reconciliation and reflection on the folly of war. TWICE A YEAR EVERY YEAR SINCE DECEMBER 7, 1991 we have had a Bell Ringing Ceremony to commemorate the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and the August 9th commemoration of the Bombing of Nagasaki The Rev. Dr. Walter Brownridge Dean of the Cathedral of St. Andrew will be the honored guest at the Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Bell Ring Ceremony The Rev. Dr. Walter Brownridge Dean of the Cathedral of St. Andrew, Honolulu Fr. Brownridge served the Episcopal Church and broader Anglican Communion in a variety of ministry settings. He has served congregations in Ohio, Delaware, New York City and South Africa. Fr. Brownridge has experience in liturgy, pastoral care, HIV & AIDS ministry and racial reconciliation. In service at the National level of the Episcopal Church, Fr. Brownridge is a member of the Standing Commission on Constitution and Canons. The Rev. Dr. Walter Brownridge has been married since 1982 to his wife, Christina Nader- Brownridge. They are the parents of two sons, Alec Thurgood (born in 1990, currently a student at Brown University) and Martin Desmond (born in 1995, currently a student at St. Andrew's - Sewanee School). 6 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION On December 31, 1862, our Nation marked the end of another year of civil war. At Shiloh and Seven Pines, Harpers Ferry and Antietam, brother had fought against brother. Sister had fought against sister. Blood and bitterness had deepened the divide that separated North from South, eroding the bonds of affection that once united 34 States under a single flag. Slavery still suspended the possibility of an America where life and liberty were the birthright of all, not the province of some. Yet, even in those dark days, light persisted. Hope endured. As the weariness of an old year gave way to the promise of a new one, President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation -- courageously declaring that on January 1, 1863, "all persons held as slaves" in rebellious areas "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free." He opened the Union Army and Navy to African Americans, giving new strength to liberty's cause. And with that document, President Lincoln lent new moral force to the war by making it a fight not just to preserve, but also to empower. He sought to reunite our people not only in government, but also in freedom that knew no bounds of color or creed. Every battle became a battle for liberty itself. Every struggle became a struggle for equality. 7 Our 16th President also understood that while each of us is entitled to our individual rights and responsibilities, there are certain things we cannot accomplish on our own. Only a Union could serve the hopes of every citizen, knocking down the barriers to opportunity and giving each of us the chance to pursue our highest aspirations. He knew that in these United States, no dream could ever be beyond our reach when we affirm that individual liberty is served, not negated, by seeking the common good. It is that spirit that made emancipation possible and codified it in our Constitution. It is that belief in what we can do together that moved millions to march for justice in the years that followed. And today, it is a legacy we choose not only to remember, but also to make our own. Let us begin this new year by renewing our bonds to one another and reinvesting in the work that lies ahead, confident that we can keep driving freedom's progress in our time. NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 1, 2013, as the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. I call upon all Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that celebrate the Emancipation Proclamation and reaffirm the timeless principles it upheld. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty- seventh. 8 January 1, 1863 The 150th Commemoration of The Emancipation Proclamation In 2013 the country will commemorate two events that changed the course of the nation — the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation and the 1963 March on Washington. Standing as milestone moments in the grand sweep of American history, these achievements were the culmination of decades of struggles by individuals — both famous and unknown — who believed in the American promise that this nation was dedicated to the proposition that "all men are created equal." Separated by 100 years, they are linked together in a larger story of freedom and the American experience. 50th Anniversary of March on Washington 1963 9 One Hundred Fifty Years of Struggle 1863-2013 “We have to stay in movement mode." Ben Jealous is a serious organizer with a long list of accomplishments, and a longer list of things to get done, as the president and CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People., he notes, 2013: is a year of significant anniversaries, among them the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, as well as the 50th anniversaries of the assassination of Medgar Evers and The Birmingham, Ala., church bombing that killed four young African- American girls.