31st Annual NEGA Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Walk & Celebration held in Cornelia
Martin Luther King Day has been a federal holiday for 31 years. Ever since it began, Northeast Georgians have observed the holiday with a peace walk and celebration.
Sunday, they did it again.
The Big Red Apple in downtown Cornelia served as the backdrop as a crowd gathered for the half-mile walk to Shady Grove Baptist Church. Some carried signs bearing messages of unity and peace; they all carried a kindred spirit.
“I have participated in this walk for several years,” says Rhonda Bailey of Clarkesville. “I find peace and hopefulness walking and celebrating with like minded community members who seek peace, social justice and environmental justice not only for our community but also for the world.”
Standing in Kinship
“Standing in Kinship,” was the theme of this year’s event. Organizers say it was inspired by the life of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the work of Gregory Boyle. Boyle, a Jesuit priest, is the founder and director of a non-profit in Los Angeles that employs and trains former gang members.
“Along the way, Boyle realized that in order to truly be of service, break down barriers, and build community, he had to learn how to stand in kinship with all of the people involved,” explains peace walk organizer Julianne Wilson.
Community in diversity
An estimated 200 people attended Sunday’s celebration service at Shady Grove Baptist Church following the walk. Organizers say they’re very pleased with the turnout. There were people of different ages, faiths, backgrounds, ethnicities, and races present and the crowd found community in its diversity.
That diversity also was evident on the program. It included Shady Grove Baptist Bishop Ernest Burns, the Reverend Sam Buice of Grace Calvary Episcopal Church in Clarkesville, Jake Hendrix who offered a Baha’i peace prayer, singing and responsive readings led by Portia Burns, Lou Davis, Joanne Steele, Rebecca and Shiri Obermeierthe, the Shady Grove Baptist Church Choir and Grace Calvary Youth.
It all amounted to more than just a feel good event, it was a rallying cry for positive action and change in our communities. This year, Patrick Burns spoke from his perspective as a young black man about the need for better communication, trust, and positive relations between the community and law enforcement. Sandy Lyndon was honored for her year’s of dedication and service to others.
Dreamweaver of the Year Award
Lyndon received this year’s Dreamweaver of the Year Award. The award is presented each year by Dreamweavers, a self-advocacy group of developmentally challenged adults based in Habersham.
Lyndon was honored for her decades of work in addiction recovery. She runs Homestead Women’s Recovery House in Clarkesville. Last year Lyndon’s own home was destroyed by fire. She lost all of her belongings but gained moving insight into the impact of her life’s work. People affected and inspired by Lyndon raised more than $16,000 online to help her get back on her feet.
“Over the years, she has saved countless lives – both in the Homestead program and well beyond,” said Dreamweaver founder Denise Eller as she presented the award. “What makes Sandy so special, however, is not just what she has accomplished and continues to do – but the way in which she does it. Sandy is a force of love, kindness, hope and compassion as well as strength and courage. She lives gratefully. She embodies grace. She sees the good…..everywhere she looks.”
Eller pointed to Lyndon as an example of how to treat others as she spoke of the deep divisions that exist in society today.
“At a time when we are faced with great conflict and anger in our nation and in the world, I believe Sandy’s attitude can be an inspiration to us all – we, each of us, must tend to the well-being, the “sobriety”, the health of our communities, our nation, our democracy daily. We must answer the call to live lives of service.”
An offering was taken during the celebration to help offset the cost of the event and to support Shady Grove’s work within the community. Bishop Burns, with the blessing of church elders, made an unexpected move that embodied the spirit of the day. He presented the entire offering to Lyndon to help her build a new house.
It was an example of standing in kinship – reaching beyond our own needs and self-interests to understand and help others.
Wilson says, “…the call to Stand in Kinship with one another is essential to our ability to move forward. Standing in Kinship is not merely the idea that we are all kin. It is a choice to live that reality in our words and actions every day.”
On Sunday. In Cornelia. They did.
