Attending the Day of Celebration, from far left, newly elected Bloomfield Councilwoman Sarah Cruz; Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-District 28; Essex County Freeholder Carlos Pomares, D-District 5; Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia; Bloomfield Councilwoman Jen Mundell; Bloomfield Councilman Nicholas Joanow; and NJ Sen. Ron Rice, D-Essex.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The 16th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration was held Monday, Jan. 15, in its customary setting, the New Light Baptist Church. The proceedings were hosted by Bloomfield Councilwoman Wartyna Davis on the exact date of what would have been King’s 89th birthday.
The invocation was given by Deacon Robert Walker, of NLBC. He thanked God for the day’s gathering of fellowship. Davis followed, welcoming everyone while asking elected officials to stand. She said the theme of the day was “strength to love,” this being the title of a collection of homilies by King.
“This theme was chosen because of its timeliness,” Davis said. “These are polarizing times.”
In attendance was state Sen. Ron Rice, D-Essex. At the podium, he said if King were alive, he would be disappointed.
“Racism is still here and we let politics dictate who we are,” Rice said.
It was important, he said, for individuals to stand up for what they believed is right.
Rice was followed by Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-28th District.
“Kids are getting confused by the mixed messages they’re receiving,” he said. “We have to stand up. Our communities depend on it.”
Djanna Hill-Tall, of the Bloomfield Civil Rights Commission, named the MLK Day essay contest winners. They were Salvatore Cicio and Nick Polidoro, both Bloomfield Middle School students. Cicio was not present but Polidoro spoke. He said he attended church while some of his friends worshipped differently.
“I think it’s sad that people use hate and violence to protest another’s religion,” he said.
There was also an oratory contest winner. This was Kelvin Langavine of the Whitney Houston Academy, East Orange.
Rich Rockwell, who is to be appointed to replace Carlos Pomares as councilmam at large, received a service award for his activity on the Morris Canal Greenway Commission. Pomares was elected an Essex County freeholder in November.
Also receiving a service award was Luis Felix. He is a member of the Bloomfield Recreation Commission and has worked with the MLK Day of Service.
“I’m not a good speaker but I write everything down,” Felix said.
He became emotional while accepting the award.
“This is why I don’t speak,” he said.
Walker received a federal-level volunteer award, and Davis, on behalf of the MLK Day of Service Committee, accepted a proclamation from Rice and Caputo. Davis initiated the day of service in 2015.
The Rev. Joel Hubbard, of the Park United Methodist Church, was the keynote speaker.
He spoke about his grandfathers. Hubbard, who grew up in the South, said they had all heard King speak, on radio and TV, during the turbulent ‘60s.
“There was a divide in the nation, much like there is today,” he said. “But King’s words didn’t alienate my grandfathers, but transform them.”
Turning to the Rev. Vernon Miller of New Light, seated behind him, Hubbard said in the ‘60s there were “pulpiteers.” Miller acknowledged that this was so.
Hubbard said pulpiteers were masters at crafting empty words and listening to one was like getting on a carousel: when you got off, you were at the same place where you started.
“That left you nowhere,” Hubbard said. “There were people that had that gift. But that was not Martin King. His life was rooted in transformation. He said that transformation was rooted in his understanding of love.”
Hubbard said the word “love” is overused: A man says he loves his wife and at the same time says he loves pepperoni pizza.
“Love is not an affection or an attraction or about someone just like us,” he said. “For King, love was redemptive — transforming individuals and cultures.”
We are living in hard times, Hubbard said.
“The question I have is, What do we do with it?” he said. “King said the arc of the universe is long and it bends toward justice.”
Hubbard said a reason why King was assassinated was because he realized civil rights was not just a problem about white people versus black people. The problem King realized, Hubbard said, were “the addictions that rob us of our humanity.”
“Recovery begins with love and bringing out diversity,” he said in conclusion. “Inclusion requires us to invest and those in power to divest. None of this is possible without love. Let us claim this day for all of God’s children.”
Miller called Hubbard’s address “a precious jewel we can take with us all our lives.”
Although Miller was on the program to deliver the benediction, he asked Hubbard do this. Hubbard returned to the podium.
“The prophet Michael 3,000 years ago asked, ‘What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God,” Hubbard said. “I hope the spirit of the Lord has come upon you. Be the hands and feet that bring deliverance.”
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