Greenwich Honors Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. With Moving Tribute

GREENWICH, CT — Greenwich held its first-ever town-run tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Thursday with a moving ceremony at town hall.

Elected officials, town employees, students and members of the community gathered in the Cone Room at Town Hall for the event, which was postponed from Tuesday because of snow.

The event featured several speakers who touched on King's legacy.

The Rev. Thomas Nins of First Baptist Church in Greenwich likened King to jazz music, a genre of music that originated in Black communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

"Jazz is one of the greatest musical forms of artistic expression ever created. It is a combination of multiple music thoughts, themes and tempos blended together into an original score. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was to social justice and human rights what jazz is to music," Nins said.

Nins further explained that the struggle for civil rights began long before King was born.

"Frederick Douglas and the abolitionists, historic Black colleges, universities and Greek organizations, the NAACP, National Baptist Convention, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, had already been active in the struggle prior to King taking the lead," Nins added. "He took what already existed and combined components of those tactics and commitments and he forged them into something new and undeniable, just like jazz.

"King took all these moving parts, these individual instruments, if you will, and he brought them together... He brought them together and created a new musical score for America."

Fifth-grade students from Old Greenwich School spoke about what King meant to them.

"Martin Luther King could have stayed home, given up, but he didn't, because he wanted for himself and other people to have the same rights as other Americans," said Sean Williamson. "It helps me think about not giving up because what you can do can not only benefit you, but your family, friends and teammates."

Another student, Austin Berendowski, said King's "I Have A Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963, helped to encourage more people to turn against segregation.

"Maybe segregation would still exist without the speech," he added. "Also, I would have not met some of the people who are in my life. I could have been a totally different person."

Berendowski also mentioned the impact of King's nonviolent protests.

"They were also a big part of the Civil Rights Movement because neutral-to-segregation people might have been encouraged to agree with segregation if there was violence," he said.

Other student speakers included Kylie Rich, Kellan O’Connor, Lukas Wermuth and Cole Chu.

First Selectman Fred Camillo, a noted lover of history and a former history teacher in town, stressed a theme of service above self to the audience.

"If you get up one day and do just one thing that makes somebody's life better, you've had a good day," Camillo said. "Martin Luther King certainly gave us a lot of those days and lots of things to live by."

Camillo has said that a town-run celebration of King is something he has wanted to do for a while. He hopes it can become a yearly tradition to gather and honor King's legacy.

State Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-36), and Selectperson Janet Stone McGuigan also spoke Thursday.

"We have a lot to reflect on on Martin Luther King Day about where our country has come from, where it's at now, and where it could go in the future," Fazio noted. "It's important to remember the past so we know where we're going, and I think that's an important lesson to remember on Martin Luther King Day."

McGuigan spoke about the importance of volunteerism and giving to others.

"When you can give to others, it means you are wealthy. You never have to wonder, 'What is my purpose in life?' Giving to others is really an enriching blessing," she said.

At the conclusion of the event, Ruby Durant, a former town employee, sang "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and "Lift Every Voice and Sing."