BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Nearly 45 years after Martin Luther King Jr., the struggle he fought remains, even in the Lehigh Valley, a local Black leader told a gathering to commemorate the day that honors the slain Civil Rights leader.
"The struggle is still here, but we're still not giving up," Karen Britt, Northampton Community College professor and president of Juneteenth Lehigh Valley, said during a panel discussion by local activists at ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem.
- ArtsQuest, with a partnership from the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley put on the "Martin Luther King Jr. Cinema Tribute Day" to commemorate the holiday dedicated to the civil rights leader
- A talkback panel led by Karen Britt discussed continuing activism and issues surrounding civil rights in the Lehigh Valley.
- Britt emphasized the need for a "Valley perspective" when it comes to advancing justice spoken of by King
"There is some movement, and we will have to continue that," Britt said. "Don't ever get complacent, because that there's a spirit of division, there's a spirit of racism and all of those 'isms' that divide people, and that's still here.
"But we still have to unveil. Because the more there's exposure of lies out there, the more than we have to confront it."
The discussion was part of a day of filmed tributes and discussion about King's legacy.
ArtsQuest partnered with the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley to put on a "Martin Luther King Jr. Cinema Tribute Day" that drew dozens to view the documentary "King: A filmed Record...Montgomery to Memphis," which compiled footage to paint a picture of King's leadership in activist movements from 1955 to 1966.
The film was followed immediately by the panel discussion, primarily as a launching point for discussions of issues echoed in the film and still felt today in the Lehigh Valley and how much progress has been or not been made on them.
The panel consisted of NAACP Easton's Traci Springer, activist Judith Dickerson, board member of the Siegel Museum and Easton NAACP member Charles Dickerson, Lehigh Valley community organizer Mark Robinson and real estate agent and Promise Neighborhoods of Lehigh Valley community engagement specialist Rodney Bushe.
The group, with audience input, discussed how issues of lacking generational wealth, education and police relations still are felt today. The panelists also discussed personal experience, such as Britt reflecting on seeing conflicts around police brutality in Easton during the early 1970s.
Dickerson spoke on the interactions of the Easton NAACP and the Easton Police, and said after meetings with the group, the police are looking to hire community advocates.
"They recognize that they've been a little too [much] overpolicing, if you will," Dickerson said. "They want to hear from other aspects of the community, so they're going to be hiring."
"The struggle is still here, but we're still not giving up."Karen Britt, Northampton Community College professor and president of Juneteenth Lehigh Valley
There also was optimism surrounding the young people in Gen Z and their willingness to voice opposition to issues of inequity.
"A lot of young folks were coming out, and the energy was there, right," Bushe said. "White allies were there as well willing to put their bodies on the line."
After the panel discussion, Britt said that, "When I see these kinds of films, it is it's very heart wrenching, of course, but it also gives me a continuous sense of responsibility.
"And I hope that is what Gen Z, understands, that you still have a sense of responsibility."
Following the panel discussion, the films "Nationtime," a documentary on the 1972 National Black Political Convention and "Selma," a dramatized version of the Selma marches, were shown.
The Volunteer Center and other groups engaged with other initiatives throughout the day as part of the MLK Day of Service, alongside many other events in the Lehigh Valley that took place for the holiday.
"Many of you might be doing other acts of service, or had done that service over the weekend, and that's what it's all about," Britt said. He was "the 'King' of love, because love surpasses all and that's the only way you can move things forward. But the important part is keep pushing, keep pressing."
Britt also emphasized finding ways to connect movements in the Lehigh Valley, and having a region-wide perspective when it comes to advancing the types of justice explored by King in order to take advantage of resources when people are brought together.
"I don't want the African-American community in the Lehigh Valley to think that we're not making progress and we're not moving, because there are pockets of groups that are doing wonderful things in different venues, whether it's whether it's art, whether it is in, you know, literacy, educational literacy, financial literacy, so be it," Britt said.
"It's really kind of understanding how we look and what we're doing as a valley."
