ROCKPORT — Marches, speeches and church services are all part of the nationwide commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day this coming Monday, Jan. 15.
In Rockport, all three aspects of the observance will take place at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport.
Those attending are asked to arrive at 9:30 a.m. at the church, 6 Cleaves St., to help make signs for a MLK March at 10 a.m., followed by an interfaith service at the church.
Betsy Nahas, chair of the church’s Social Justice Committee, said the 37-year-old tradition began when a small girl heard about King’s efforts.
“We have to do something here in Rockport,” the little girl was said to have expressed.
The congregation has been marching ever since, Nahas said.
“During COVID-19 we did a car parade but still we held the event,” she said. “Often it is very cold but we move faster and sing louder.”
The 10 a.m. march will be followed by an interfaith service of songs, readings and prayers. This free family-friendly event will include a guest musician and a performance by the band Rhythm Plus Soul.
Goals of the event are to celebrate King’s life and work and raise the issues of racism inequality, worker’s rights and peace by means of remembering King, according to Nahas.
“We read and hear his words to learn how we can grow in our understanding of all our neighbors,” she said. “We need to know our history so that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past but create the future we want.”
The Rockport event will recall the marching, lobbying and voting that took place in advance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and when King was alive, Nahas said.
“The annual Unitarian Universalist Society of Rockport observance of MLK Day is a celebration of the accomplishments and life of Martin Luther King Jr.,” she said. “It is also, importantly, an affirmation that his crucial work for racial and economic justice must continue and our work as well.”
Nahas, 68, said it is easy for some who value King’s teachings to become complacent about their status. But she said attention still needs to be given to matters related to racial equity.
“I was not targeted or dismissed from job interviews and other opportunities because of the color of my skin,” she said. “And today, my neighbors do not confront me and tell me ‘We don’t want you here.’ The police do not stop my children walking home to ask them why they are in this town.”
Nahas estimated 25-80 people have marched on MLK Day in Rockport over the years, a figure she predicts will continue.
Music during the event will be provided by the RPS Band, led by Rockport’s Doug Rich. Rich is the owner of Susie’s Stories, one of the few black-owned businesses in Rockport. The RPS Band includes the participation of professional musicians who play rhythm and blues, funk, soul, jazz, rock and Latin music.
While Nahas is looking forward to the pageantry of the gathering, she reminded people more efforts are needed.
“The focus of our gathering will continue to be the unfinished work of racial and economic justice so brilliantly and courageously undertaken by Martin Luther King,” she said. “We want you to be inspired to talk to your neighbors, to come together with a new understanding of what we share in common, to know that you are not alone and that we are open and interested in learning from you and your experiences in life.”
Stephen Hagan can be reached at 978-675-2708 or at shagan@gloucestertimes.com.