HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – As America remembers the life and legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the head of the Hawaii chapter of social justice nonprofit NAACP says King’s message of equality and unity is more important than ever.
“Dr. King was one of the most influential leaders of the 20th Century. His message of transcending racial discourse and staying committed to the concept of peace and justice for all of humanity resonates with so many people across the globe today,” said Alphonso Braggs, president of the Hawaii NAACP.
King “would say that we have strayed too far from the belief that all people are created equally and that we are on a path of human destruction unless we come together as a humankind.”
A month after Hawaii became a state in 1959, King visited Oahu to address the first state legislature.
He called Hawaii “a noble example” of progress “in the area of racial harmony and racial justice” and it inspired his work in the civil rights movement.
King and other civil rights leaders wore plumeria lei during the historic 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. The lei were gifted by Reverend Abraham Akaka and his congregation at Kawaiahao Church.
“If we guide our actions by love, by the commitment to peace and harmony for future generations if we are guided by a respect for ourselves and our fellow man, then I think that we can make this nation be the very best nation and a nation that others will idol,” Braggs said.
It’s a message being shared at Monday’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Honolulu. The parade starts at 9 a.m. at Magic Island, goes through Waikiki, and ends with a festival at Kapiolani Regional Park, with food vendors, live performances and activities.
Braggs urges everyone to carry on King’s legacy of social justice all year round.
“I think that it is hard for a lot of people in America today. Because economically we’re challenged a lot of folks are having difficulties with health and health care there are some impending changes in education, nevertheless, we cannot give up hope. We have to believe that if we endure, then the return on that struggle is gonna benefit our kids and our grandkids.”
A message of aloha forever immortalized in King’s iconic dream.
For more information, visit facebook.com/HonoluluHawaiiNAACP.
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