Bethlehem NAACP Remembers MLK on 50th Anniversary of His Death

Terry and Ryan Gooding, ages 8 and 6

On Tuesday evening, Allentown's NAACP featured a forum that was supposed to be about the impact of hip hop music. Though I'm one of the few old farts who actually listens to and appreciates this music, I skipped the event because this nonprofit, which is supposed to refrain from partisan politics, featured a Congressional candidate as well as a person who thinks she should be Allentown's Mayor. But last night, the Bethlehem NAACP stayed true to its mission with a march to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was cut down just 50 years ago at age 39. The march of about 50 people started at Payrow Plaza, located on Bethlehem's north side, at 5 pm. It ended at Martin Luther King Park, located on the south side, shortly before 6 pm. And at that hour, the hour that King was assassinated, the bells at Holy Ghost Church tolled. They also rang out at the Cathedral Church of the Nativity.

Despite strong winds and plunging temperatures, the pilgrimage marched. At one time, not so long ago, police officers might have clubbed participants  But Bethlehem Police, including its mounted unit, protected marchers from their biggest enemy at rush hour - traffic. NAACP President Esther Lee, with her ubiquitous church hat, joined the march en route, cane and all.

The crowd arrived at Martin Luther King Park a little early. It warmed itself, not with hip hop, but gospel music belted out by Winston Alozie, program director of the Bethlehem Boys and Girls Club.With no accompaniment except for his audience, Winston delivered a stirring rendition of "Let it Shine."



Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez, joined by City Council members Olga Negron and Michael Colón, said Dr. King was more than an advocate for people of color, but a "champion of the overlooked and downtrodden."

State Rep. Steve Samuelson carried a book that contained all of King's most memorable speeches. He said that, a few days after the assassination, King's widow Coretta led a march in Memphis in which people carried signs saying, "Honor King, End Racism." But 50 years later, that dream has yet to be realized. But the dream still lives, as Stevie Wonder notes in a video he just released, including comments from numerous luminaries.



"Dr. King did not die just for black folks," added Lee. She and other speakers spoke about King's fights against residential segregation (more politely called gentrification), poverty, poor wages, police brutality and Vietnam. Some speakers claim that, in the 50 years since King's death, things have grown worse. But for them, standing in a pocket park on a cold and windy day, the dream still lives.

I sometimes have my doubts. I often think of the opening line of poem by e.e. cummings. "pity this busy monster, manunkind, ... not." But then I see two sisters like Terry and Ryan Gooding, ages 8 and 6. How could anyone hate them? The dream does still live.

Blogger's Note: To see photos and videos from yesterday's march, visit my Facebook page.

Bethlehem Response To Charlottesville? Holding Hands, Prayer

Over the weekend, as the 34th Musikfest came to an end, Bethlehem Police Chief Mark DiLuzio had just one word to describe it - "Great!" Over the 10-day festival, over 1.2 million people visited the Christmas City. Only 36 people were arrested, mostly for public drunkenness. But 309 miles away in Charlottesville, Va., a  "Unite the Right"  rally ended in tragedy. Three people are dead. Dozens more are injured. A President first said "both sides" are to blame, then blamed white supremacists and the KKK, and finally returned to saying that "both sides" are responsible.

How did Bethlehem respond?

By holding hands. By praying.

That's what happened Tuesday afternoon at a 5 pm rally called by civil rights champion Esther Lee, who is also President of Bethlehem's NAACP. Nearly 60 people attended. They included clergymen, Bethlehem City officials and the Sierra Club's Don Miles.

"We here in Bethlehem condemn acts of hatred and are deeply saddened by the loss of life," said Mayor Bob Donchez. "We need to show those who divide us that we will not be divided. ... Tonight we are one with Charlottesville and its citizens."

Police Chief Mark DiLuzio stated we have devolved into a nation of "name callers." He said his father is probably "rolling over in his grave at the sight of American citizens giving a Nazi salute."n His father a WWII vet,is one of the 43,000 allied soldiers who landed on Omaha Beach because he did not want Nazism to come to the United States. "Well, Dad, it isn't coming here," asserted Chief DiLuzio. He said people throughout the nation are rising up to say, "We will not stand for or agree with your hatred and prejudice."

Speaking for the Sierra Club, Don Miles read a statement stating that the white supremacists are not patriots, but "vile and unacceptable racists preaching hatred and division that stands in opposition to the values of equality and justice." He added that "those who spew white supremacy feel empowered now when they see allies in the corridors of power."

Rev. Anthony Pompa, Dean and Rector of Cathedral Church of the Nativity,  said that, in the end, "it's all about love. If it's not about love, it's not about God."

Cordelia Miller, Bethlehem NAACP Vice President, said her family came to this country in the bottom of slave ships,"chained together like animals. Someone wants to tell me to go back to the good old days. What good old days?" Holding the American flag in her hand, she said, "This flags stands for something, or it should."

Esther Lee noted that Trump is the people's representative, and was puzzled that he did not immediately condemn the racism."I am very concerned about what he has not said," she observed.

Text of Mayor Donchez' remarks:

Our nation has had a long and difficult history dealing with white supremacy, racism, bigotry, and intolerance. Our founding fathers declared “that all men are created equal,” and it took much conflict and bloodshed over almost 250 years to live up to that. And yet, have we? Once again, we are gathered together to condemn the shocking violence in Charlottesville and the vile ideology behind it.

This kind of thinking and behavior have no place in America or anywhere in the world. We in Bethlehem condemn acts of hatred, and are deeply saddened by the loss of life and injuries suffered in Charlottesville. We stand with Mayor Signer and everyone in his city with hope and prayers for a return to a more peaceful time. We also stand together here in Bethlehem, supporting all our brothers and sisters in this show of unity and strength as a community.

We need to show those who would divide us that we will not be divided, we will stand here together as a sign of unity not division. The hatred that comes with racism, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and intolerance, will not be condoned or supported here in Bethlehem or anywhere else for that matter. We are one. Our anger and abhorrence against those who would hate us, must be converted to something more positive – to hope, to faith and to love. To quote Martin Luther King, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”

Tonight, we show solidarity, not only for Charlottesville victims, but also for Bethlehem and for the Lehigh Valley. Tonight, we are one with Charlottesville and its citizens. Tonight, we need to lock arms across the many lines and boundaries of difference and commit ourselves to unity. Tonight, we must be tolerant of all that makes up our city, our region and our country – Black and White, Latino and Asian, rural and urban, poor and rich, gay and straight, male, female and transgender. Tonight, across the entire spectrum of all that is America we need to achieve social and economic justice and equality for all.

The politics of division and hate must end and they must end now.

To quote John F. Kennedy, “The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crisis, maintain their, neutrality.” This is indeed, a time of great moral crisis, and we can no longer say, it doesn’t affect me - because it does. Thank you.

Portions of Esther Lee's remarks:

I was appalled as the President of these United States Donald Trump had great difficulty in condemning the acts of the KKK and white supremacists. I watched as he skirted the issue.

It is so hard to believe that the  President of these United States had to be shamed into delivering his condemnation ... .

***

We know that hate is alive in this area as there are signs daily in individuals who enjoy sharing their racist views by carrying the Confederate flag or wearing the sign of hate.".

(Blogger's Note: This story was delayed a day so it could appear in The Bethlehem Press first.)

Bethlehem Civil Rights Activist Esther Lee Honored

Flanked by Elks' civil liberties directors Carmela Boykins and Marcel Howard,
Esther Lee accepts its first ever community service award.

Bombastic. Humorous. Bold. Empathetic. Domineering. Inclusive. These are just a few of the adjectives describing Lehigh Valley civil rights pioneer Esther Lee, whose distinctive church lady hats and booming yet eloquent voice make her instantly recognizable. After spending a lifetime fighting for social justice in the Lehigh Valley, Lee was honored by the IBPOEW, or Black Elks, at their state annual convention at Bethlehem's Best Western Hotel on June 6. Over 200 members were on hand, including President Edward Dawkins and the state directors of civil liberties, Marcel Howard and Carmela Boykins, to present Lee with their first ever community service award.

"You know, I'm 82 years old," said Lee with a wry smile. "But I can still walk. I can think. I can see you out there," she joked as Boykins called her "the eyes and the ears of the Lehigh Valley."

About 200 members of the Black Elks honor Lee

She was born and raised in South Bethlehem, one of five children. Her commitment to her Baptist faith is apparent from more than the hat. A member of St. Paul Baptist Church, she is a Sunday school teacher, senior choir member, missionary member, church financial secretary and church treasurer. She also belongs to several statewide Baptist organizations.

"Church, church and more church," said Boykins in introducing Lee.

A graduate of Liberty High School, Lee never attended a day of college. Yet she calls education "the key to my life." That, and her interest in children is what sparked her interest in civil rights and community involvement.

"Our children are very important, and they should come first," she said. As the mother of two children attending Madison Elementary School, she peppered teachers and the principal with questions.She decided to join the PTA even though she was the only black face in a white room. "The white mothers decided I should be their President," she said. Those same white parents then encouraged her to run for school board, and in 1971, she became the first African American woman to be elected to a school board in the Lehigh Valley. She would serve for six years.

As a school director, she asked questions, and pushed for changes to improve Bethlehem's school system. But she noted that change is painfully slow. "It took us until 2016 to hire a black secretary in the school district of Bethlehem," she lamented. "that will let you know just how slow we are in getting things done."

She stressed the importance of parental involvement.

"We need parents to raise their children," she said. "Bring them to school. Preachers tell you to bring them to church, but we don't have Sunday Schools any more. That's where you can help children to read." She challenged parents and grandparents "to get up off your seats" and "insure that our children can read. Parents, it's on us."

Lee entered the workforce in the early 1950's, a time which many Lehigh Valley residents view with nostalgia. It was different for Lee. "Bethlehem wasn't hiring us as a people," she observed, but said she was fortunate that a Jewish family took pit on her and out her to work in their dry cleaning business.

Things changed when the Civil Rights Act was enacted, and businesses with federal contracts were forced to hire minorities. She hated leaving the dry cleaner, but was trained as a secretary, and finally got work with several companies during a long secretarial career that ended when she retired as an administrative assistant for the Bethlehem Council of Churches.

As her interest in civil rights deepened, Lee became involved in the NAACP, and is currently the president of the Bethlehem branch. She spoke of the marches that the NAACP and Elks made together on Martin Luther King Day, trying to persuade Bethlehem officials to close city hall on that national holiday. Mayor Ken Smith eventually agreed. She also recounted protests at Lehigh University, which also refused to recognize the holiday.

"I read that Lehigh wants to become more involved in the Bethlehem community," she observed. "The way to become more involved is to acknowledge that we are part of society and not just second class citizens."

Most recently, Lee has been hosting interesting and well-attended forums on topics ranging from education to police violence, and Police Chief Mark DiLuzio and Mayor Bob Donchez have both participated.

"I'll keep working, and I'll get ugly when I need to, as you all know," she said as people chuckled. "May God bless your children and grandchildren so that they can stand up and bear the pressure that this world brings to them."

From L to R: President Edward Dawkins, Esther Lee, Carmela Boykins and Marcel Howard