Senator Joel Ford Addressed MLK Breakfast in Dallas NC
By FRAN FARRER
DALLAS, NC – Hosting their 2nd Annual Martin Luther King Day Breakfast, the City of Dallas welcomed home their native son, Senator Joel Ford as their keynote speaker, who earned a standing ovation.
Senator Ford gained the crowds attention by opening with the familiar hymn, “A Charge To Keep,” when spoken in a baritone-bass like voice is somewhat soothing: A charge to keep I have, A God to glorify, A never dying soul to save, And fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, my calling to fulfill: O may it all my powers engage to do my Master's will! He completed the courses, but those that resonated most were: A strict account to give!
He was then quick to acknowledge the Mayor, Rick Coleman, Alderwoman Stacey Thomas, David W. Hoyle, former mayor of Dallas and nine-term Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate, representing the 25th District, other elected officials and staff, and could not leave out South Point High School graduates in attendance by chanting, “Go Red Raiders!
Ford said as a product of Gaston County he felt honored to bring remarks in celebration of the contributions and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was a central figure in the Civil Rights Movement and a leading advocate of nonviolence. Sharing a bit of history he said, “In 1963, at the age of 34 he was named “Man of the Year” by Time Magazine; In 1964, he was awarded the Noble Peace Prize, the youngest man and the first Black man to receive that honor; Over the years, he was arrested thirty times for his civil rights actions; He was a member of many national and Atlanta based boards of directors, in profit and nonprofit organizations; was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and other learned societies; and on April 4, 1968, Dr. King traveled to Memphis to help lead sanitation workers in a protest, and as he stood on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel, was shot and killed by James Earl Ray.”
Senator Ford then shared six or seven of Dr. King’s profound quotes, but the ones that stood out most were: “Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.” “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” “Our Scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.”
Deeming himself a public investment, Senator Joel Ford said, “I am a product of a dream and the Civil Rights Movement; Dr. King was killed in 1968 and I was born in 1969 in Charlotte, North Carolina, but was raised in Belmont, and when I look over my life I am reminded that I had help from a public system.”
He shared that he lived in public housing, went to public schools, and attended a public university system, and was raised by a single mother that was loving and caring, a mother that he had a respectful fear of as well. Yet he made it, rising from Flowers Court, to Charlotte Housing Authority-former Chair and on to become a State Senator. Ford shared that he was kept of the streets during the summer at T Jeffers Recreation Center, a center that was built in 1979, and was a project accomplished through a combination of community development and bureau of outdoor recreation federal grants that were then matched with city funds. He highlighted that the Center was named for former councilman and mayor, Thebaud Jeffers, which was the City’s first African-American mayor who was well-known throughout the community as a mentor to youth. While growing up in the small mill town of Belmont in public housing, his mother always reminded him that it was temporary housing, and with hard work, and determination he could achieve anything.
“We must keep that hope alive! By creating safe communities, that fosters healthy growth and development,” Ford told the breakfast crowd.
Ford continued saying, “In our community and in our country we have a rich legacy and history to build upon, and highlighted one specific: We elected the First African American President – Barack Obama, but yet we still have huge disparities within the African American community along lines of health, income and education.”
“According to the NC Department of Public Instruction only 29.7 of NC Black kids are College or Career ready!” he said. “I believe we all have a shared responsibility to think about those of us in our community that are most in need, and hardest to serve by creating economic development opportunities for people of color.”
Senator Ford pointed out that a good paying job or successful small business answers a multitude of questions like: Affordable Housing, Affordable healthcare, and access to high preforming schools, and we should find ways to resource people.
In closing Ford said, “I am a blessed man for having grown up in this area and having the positive experiences in this community. I thank God for men and women that I don’t know that were willing to make a public investment. God Bless you and God Bless the State of North Carolina!”