Following the dream: Holy Angels and St. Anthony students honor legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Holy Angels sixth-graders Charles Davis, left, and Desmond Huskie carry a banner on Jan. 12 during the school’s annual march honoring the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students from St. Anthony School also participated in the march and memorial Mass.

By Mary Ann Wyand

Holy Angels sixth-grade student Deon Holder thought about marching in his school’s annual tribute to the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Deon had just completed the Jan. 12 march with classmates and St. Anthony School students along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street in Indianapolis. and participated in the memorial Mass at the Church of the Holy Angels.

He looked a little wistful as he discussed the school celebration honoring the late civil rights leader, who was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn.

“This will be my last year here at Holy Angels,” Deon said. “I’ll be leaving. Next year, I’ll be going to a new school.”

Deon said the annual tribute to King “means a lot because if he didn’t come to the world we’d probably still be slaves or doing things we don’t want to do.”

It’s important to honor King’s memory, Deon said, because he taught us “the right way to be.”

As a student at Holy Angels School, Deon said he appreciates “the new friends I made and how fair the teachers have been to me. It’s been a lot of hard work …. singing, morning prayer and helping out all the others below me so they can reach the same level I’m at.”

Fifth-grader Nia Franklin said the King celebration “meant a lot to me because he’s a real role model and I can follow him in any kind of way. He was a minister. He was a civil rights leader. He did a lot.”

Nia said she likes going to Holy Angels School.

“I like the teachers and how they try to teach you the most they can,” she said. “I want to be a psychiatrist. I want to help people get over their problems and be in tune with Jesus.”

Fourth-grader Ralita Searcey said people need to remember King’s message of peace and love for every person.

“He let freedom ring,” Ralita said. “He was a really great person.”

Ralita said she likes helping her friends with their schoolwork, and knows that is one way to share love and make the world a better place.

During the march, Holy Angels and St. Anthony students walked by Lil’ Ron’s Barber Shop, where barber Darrell Lee opened the door to greet the children.

“I think it’s the most wonderful thing that I’ve ever seen with the young people,” Lee said, “because it’s the young people that we need to lead and guide us into the future.”

Barber shop owner Ron Alexander said he thinks the march gives people hope.

“It’s good to see that there is hope out here because with all the violent things going on today … that’s not the way it should be,” Alexander said. “For them to get together like this is pretty good.”

Father Kenneth Taylor, pastor of Holy Angels Parish, walked with the students and teachers in the annual march.

“It’s important that we pass on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King for the children so they don’t forget about the fight for justice and equality,” Father Taylor explained. “We hear so many bad things about today’s youth and how apathetic or nonchalant they are, but when we do this it shows that they are keeping the dream alive and they are going to make their own personal commitment to continue [King’s work] so that all people might live in justice and equality.

“Nonviolence was a major part of his mission,” Father Taylor said. “When the kids study [the life of] Martin Luther King, they learn how much nonviolence can accomplish. Hopefully, that will show them the folly of turning to violence any time anything goes wrong. That’s another important reason to keep this dream alive—so that our city can get the message that we can accomplish more in a spirit of non-violence than if we turn violent on each other. Our children are giving [people] the message to keep all that Rev. Martin Luther King worked for alive and strong in our society today.”

In his homily, Father Taylor reminded the students that the Scripture readings talk about working for justice for all.

“We are all servants of God,” he said. “We are all being called by God to help bring about the kind of world that God wants us to have. … And if we are going to be servants of God then we have to promote God’s mission of love and peace in the world.”

Jesus was doing God’s will, he said, and always stayed true to his mission.

“Today we honor another servant of God who worked to bring justice to the people,” Father Taylor said. “Dr. Martin Luther King was saying, ‘God wants us to live in justice. God wants us to be people of hope. God wants us to love one another.’ Martin Luther King was trying to get us to be the kind of people that God wants us to be. … Our celebration is also a reminder to us [to ask], ‘How is God calling me to be a servant? What kind of things does God want me to help bring about? Is there a better way that I can live for God and do what God wants?’ ” †