Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King’s 96th birthday: Guest speaker Constance Slaughter Harvey (3rd from rt.) joined by Bishop Joseph Kopacz (top row right); Monsignor Elvin Sunds (Bottom Row left) and Tougaloo Eagles (classmates of Harvey-Slaughter)

By Jackie Hampton,
Publisher, The Mississippi Link,

“On The Path to Fulfilling the Dream” was the theme Saturday, January 18th at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration, which was held Saturday, January 18, 2025, at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle, 123 West Street in Jackson.
The guest speaker for the occasion was Attorney Constance Slaughter-Harvey, who stated in her speech that the selected theme was most timely because it challenged everyone individually as well as collectively to reflect upon the profound impact Dr. King had in pursuing justice, equality and human dignity.
She spoke of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech” that was made on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. She reminded some listeners, while informing youth that were not around in 1963, that King’s speech was a part of what was known as “The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” She told the audience that this event was one of the largest public demonstrations in the nation’s history, drawing an estimated 250,000 participants, a fifth of which were white, coming from across the United States and the world. She said, “This speech continues to inspire and challenge us to strive for a world where equality and justice are not just dreams, but realities for all.”
Slaughter-Harvey recalled feeling inspired listening to his speech as a 17-year old attending Tougaloo College, but she said his non-violent approach just didn’t sit well with her at the time, recalling the Tougaloo College Chapel bell ringing two months earlier to share the sad news that a non-violent peaceful warrior had been killed by violent and lawless Klansmen. She was speaking of Medgar Wiley Evers. “Despite the harsh realities of racism and inequality, King expressed his unwavering faith and the potential for America to fulfill its promise of freedom and justice for all. Dr. King’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech is more than an eloquent plea for racial equality; it is a profound vision of a just and inclusive society” she stated.
In her closing, she left a challenge to all the listeners:
• I challenge all of us to VOTE and to monitor and hold elected officials accountable.
• I challenge parents of all children, but especially Black children, to make the effort, endure any sacrifice, dispense hard love and to lift our youngsters to their full potential and to supply strong family basis from which to launch these children.

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