Georgetown, GINA, January 17, 2004

On Thursday, January, 15, 2004, yet another day and another year arrived, when Americans, both black and white, gentile and Jew, paused to remember the birth anniversary of a man who has touched the lives of millions, not only in the United States, but around the world.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr was a man with a mission, who dared to believe that change for the betterment of all humankind was worth fighting for, in keeping with the Biblical principles of love, unity and equality.
Defying the odds that dogged the civil liberties of his black brethren in the U.S., during a time when racism was rampant in States such as, Mississippi, Georgia Memphis, Tennesse and Texas, Dr. King shared his dream. He visualised a United States of America, regardless of race, colour or creed, where all citizens would one day enjoy equal rights and privileges.
Walking in the footsteps of his father as a man of faith, the Atlanta, Georgia- born Baptist Minister started crusading for the realisation of his vision from a tender age. King even received the support of white Americans who were opposed to the oppressive system of segregation.
Though separated by geographic and economic considerations, Guyana can certainly draw from the US King affair, and its posthumous effects on life’s journey. Reflecting on the life of the civil rights activist, Chairman of the Guyana Council of Churches, Bishop Juan Edghill, said, “He stood for equal rights for all. He was not just another black man seeking to push the black agenda.”
In the local context, the Cleric opined that there should exist no superior race or a superior class of people based on any privileged position. “We must be able to see ourselves as equal, having access to the same opportunities,” stated Bishop Edghill.
Drawing from the lessons left by Dr. King, the Guyana Council of Churches official said the US civil rights leader went about his mission using peaceful means instead of violence, a recourse that is perceived by many as the way to solving problems.
Edghill further stated, “By way of persuasion, negotiation and continual propagating of your position, hoping to win even your adversaries and oppressors to come to a place of realisation that what you’re saying is something that is necessary to make the changes,” we can make a difference.
He asserted that Guyana has quite a few issues to be addressed, where people feel oppressed and ostracised. However, Edghill said that in remembering what Dr. Martin Luther King stood for, “we can struggle, talk, negotiate, and persuade each other,” thereby seeking to develop an environment of consensus.
Edghill pointed out that his Atlanta-based presiding archbishop, Earl Paulk, a white American, stood alongside Dr. king in his equal rights struggle. Paulk has attested to Dr. King’s love for all mankind, regardless of their religious or racial persuasion. He embraced people.
“In Guyana, while we might be convinced that the path that we have taken is the correct one, we should desist from demonising any other group. That is a strong message that we have to continually send,” added Edghill.
Through his life and death, Dr. King’s dream emerged as the common thread that continues to hold the fabric of faith together for Americans, and even Guyanese, who have adapted the principles of equality for all.
Persons are still dreaming of emerging from oppression and all forms of bondage, and we should reflect on the benefits and the content of the message Dr. King declared, said Bishop Edghill.
He expressed conviction that the Guyanese society is so polarised that our leaders will not be judged based upon the content of their character, but the opposing view. As a minister who believes in the principles of the Holy Bible, Edghill related that he has stood against all odds in defiance of the race card.
He affirmed that support or lack of support for an Administration should not be based on race, but based on the principles of the Word of God, which states “All Governments are established by God.”
Let’s build the nation together. Let’s talk about the issues rather than destroy the country,” appealed the Bishop.
Apart from being a religious minister, Edghill serves as Chairman of the constitutionally established Ethnic Relations Commission, which was legislated to “eliminate all forms of discrimination based on ethnicity.”
The Commission has also been mandated to educate, encourage and create an environment for social cohesion and religious tolerance of all ethnic groups, and to ensure there is equal opportunities for all.
Today, decades after his passing, Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr has become a household legend in the home and hearts of many Americans who have lived to experience the changes for which he valiantly fought.
Though the ideal dream of the civil rights icon may not have been realised, his will, courage and steadfastness in pursuit of what was right, leave an indelible path for us to take, and seeds which we can cultivate for a better Guyana, for generations to come.
Certainly, his admonition to all mankind, to live in unity rather than die as fools, should serve to guide our daily lives.
As we reflect on the course of our nation within our separate cubicles we call home, it is apt that to call to memory some of the final words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr, replacing “Guyana” where applicable. “Let us rise up today with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make Guyana what it ought to be.”