What Does MLK Day Mean to County’s Black Residents?

WILDWOOD – Jan. 20, 2020 marks the 34th Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the nation’s history. Since 1986, this national holiday has been observed on the third Monday of January rather than on King’s birthday, Jan. 15, because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister and activist at the forefront of the civil rights movement. He organized peaceful protests against white supremacy, poverty, and war, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. In 1958, at the height of the movement, King delivered a speech during a conference in Cape May (http://bit.ly/2tUzvEZ).
King was 39 years old when he was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. 
The Herald asked black youths and adults from Cape May County what Martin Luther King Jr. Day means to them. 
MLK Day Means ‘Everything’
Gerald Saunders, of Wildwood, was born in 1968, the year of King’s assassination. He said he learned about King from his parents, whom he said experienced segregation firsthand. 
“My parents went through stuff I had to learn about later,” Saunders said. He credited King and other civil rights leaders for combating the discrimination faced by his parents. 
Martin Luther King Jr. Day means “everything” to Saunders, he said.
King ‘was a Godsend’
Alonyha Shepard, 34, of Wildwood, called King a “godsend.” 
“He died so I could walk down the street and not have to get on the grass” if a white person was walking the same sidewalk, she said.
Shepard was holding the hand of her daughter, Alonyha Jr., 6, who wore rainbow roller skates.
Shepard said MLK Day represents equality and freedom.
“It reminds me of how long we have come and how much we shouldn’t take for granted as black people,” she said, “and how we should treat all races and all walks of life equally and just.”
Alonyha Jr. agreed with her mother.
Civil Rights Act’s Influence
Marion Mills, 18, reflected on the Civil Rights Act’s influence on his life as a student. Mills said he was one of the only black students in the Ocean City School District, but wasn’t treated differently by his white peers. 
“What I expected before I started school was different from what it actually was,” Mills said. “There’s still racism going on, but I met people who treat me like a brother, who I could bring into my family.”
Kaliah S., 13, Mill’s sister and an Upper Township student, agreed.
“I have several white friends, and I can trust them,” she said.
Mills cited historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), as an important part of what MLK Day means to him. HBCUs were founded before the civil rights movement to serve black college students banned or otherwise limited from attending most institutions, until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination and segregation. 
Today, HBCUs are known for supporting the needs of low-income and first-generation students of all backgrounds, according to UNCF.org.
“Black communities take HBCUs seriously,” Mills said. 
King’s Legacy
Donte, of Wildwood, respects what MLK Day represents for black rights. Some of what he learned from King was to “use your mind” and “fight differently.” 
“He left a legacy for his people because you and I wouldn’t be standing here talking right now if it weren’t for him,” said Donte, who chose not to share his last name.
Donte learned about King in school, during the’80s and ’90s, but had to research more information about the civil rights movement.
“He changed a lot of things, but some things still exist. He still suffered,” Donte said. “We’ve been suffering for a long, long time.”
Donte hopes that other black rights activists will be remembered like King. “There were people before him. He had to follow somebody,” he said, citing Malcolm X, who was assassinated in 1965, and Nathan McCall, author of “Makes Me Wanna Holler.”
“Things affect me that don’t directly affect me,” he said. “I just try to live my life and leave a legacy for my children.”
To contact Taylor Henry, email thenry@cmcherald.com.