Sgt. 1st Class Raschod Wade gives a speech during the special celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr on Jan. 21, 2020 in Chièvres, Belgium. (U.S. Army photo by Christophe Morel)

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

CHIEVRES, Belgium -- On Jan. 21, USAG Benelux Equal Opportunity Office and 424th Air Base Squadron presented a special celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The theme was “Serve, Remember! Celebrate! Act!”

“Every year, we set time aside to celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Throughout his career of service, King wrote and spoke frequently, drawing on his experience as a preacher and civil rights activist. Before a crowd of some 250,000 people at the 1963 March on Washington, Dr. King delivered his most famous “I have a dream” speech,” said Staff Sgt. Amber Clark, the project officer for the event.

One year after his iconic speech, King won the Nobel Peace Prize. He was assassinated at the age of 39, but he left a legacy of hope and inspiration that continues today. His death was not the death of the movement King started but rather the second start and galvanization of the American conscience. During the 1968 Presidential Election, George Wallace, former governor of Alabama, who made a historical stand in the door of the University of Alabama in support of segregation, publically apologized for what he had done and declared that King’s death was a tragedy for the nation and the world.

“His legacy lives on from generation to generation and will remain a constant reminder that equality will prevail over all,” said Sgt. 1st Class Raschod Wade during the special celebration in Chièvres.
Wade provided a quote from the speech King delivered on Dec. 11, 1965 in Oslo where he received the Nobel Peace prize. “Old systems of exploitation and oppression are passing away, and out of the womb of a frail world, new systems of justice and equality are being born. Doors of opportunity are gradually being opened to those at the bottom of society. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are developing a new sense of “somebodiness” and carving a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of despair,” said King.

By Christophe Morel, USAG Benelux Public Affairs