Moving Ceremony Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: Photos, Video

SOUTHOLD, NY — It was a joyful celebration in Southold Sunday at a ceremony to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force's event was held at the new North Fork United Methodist Church. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the federal day of service, "which encourages all of us to volunteer to improve our communities," the Southold Town Anti-Bias Task Force said.

The event's keynote speaker was Rev. Donald Butler of the Community Baptist Church of Southampton; Rev. Butler gave an impassioned delivery of Martin Luther King's "Letter From Birmingham Jail" as those in attendance applauded.

In a nation that prioritizes material prosperity, Rev. Butler said: "We need to prosper in the area of love . . . There is no white church; there is no black church. There is only one church and Jesus Christ is the head of the church."

Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell also spoke: "Right now we find ourselves in one this country's biggest challenges. The rhetoric we're hearing, the messages of hate and bigotry, are everywhere. And unfortunately, it's become part of the national dialogue."

Recently, he said, he and friend were talking and his friend suggested that the bigotry and the hatred were always there; that it had been latent, but now, some "just feel emboldened to speak out. Maybe so. The problem with that is the message that they spread of hatred of bigotry, when it becomes the norm, and it's not challenged they develop influence. They become the sphere of influence of our culture," Russell said.

The supervisor said he is particularly concerned about young people who are influenced by social media and hear a message of bigotry and hatred, over and over. "We must seize that. They must hear the lessons, the message of Dr King, the struggles that everybody went through to obtain civil rights. We must become their sphere of influence. We need to be loud, to be strong, to be resolute. For the sake of the dignity of everybody . . . to make sure everybody gets the respect that each deserves. This is a a call to arms. There are a lot of people out there who hear the rhetoric, they hear the hatred, the bigotry and they know it's wrong, but they don't do anything about it. They stay silent. It's time for those cowards to come out of the shadows and join the struggle," Russell said.

Greenport Village Deputy Mayor and Trustee Jack Martilotta also addressed the crowd: "When Martin Luther King was doing his work with the poor, he had a great quote." That quote, "True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar," by Dr. King, Martilotta said, inspired him and taught him to be more engaged and involved, to lead by example. "There's hard work to be done and we should do the hard work," he said.

Martilotta brought his children to the service so they could learn about the good work being done in Dr. King's name, he said; his son Jack, along with Jacob Spar, led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The event also included musical selections by the choir from the Community Baptist Church of Southampton.

Young people made their mark on the day: Corinna Carbajal of Southold School read excerpts from Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech.

Students Brodie Morris and Ben Voegel from Mattituck High School played jazz in honor of Dr. King and later, students from North Fork high schools described the many ways students are involved in giving back through community service.

A tribute was given to Frank LePre, a longtime Southold anti-bias task force member, and a collection was taken in his name, to help fund activities in local schools to create tolerance and diversity and combat bias and racism.

Sonia Spar, co-chair of the Anti-Bias Task Force, described a new scholarship the ABTF will be awarding to a local senior. She called the public "Into Action," discussing the need for all to "love one another" and work together with the schools to teach those values, not just on the national Day of Service, but every day throughout the year. The event included colorful artwork from local school children displayed throughout the church.

Val Shelby, co-chair of the ABTF, said she is proud of the work the group is doing. "I'm dreaming of the day that we will no longer need an Anti-Bias Task Force," she said. But until then, she said, "It's our pleasure to serve our community. We try to do everything for everybody."

The group meets every third Monday at 10 a.m. at Town Hall; all are welcomed to attend the meetings.