This Community Perspective message is from MSM Musical Theatre faculty member Samuel McKelton, who teaches voice.
Community Perspectives is a series of written messages to amplify the voices of the MSM community about cultural celebrations. We hope you enjoy learning more about members of our community and these important celebrations.
When I sat down to pen this retrospective to honor the life and legacy of one of the greatest men to ever have walked among us, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., preacher, civil rights leader, servant, and teacher, it was difficult to land on any single portion of his life and service to illuminate. His legacy of non-violent resistance and fearlessly speaking truth to power are tools that are still hugely useful to us today as we continue the work necessary to get our country to, finally, “live out the true meaning of its creed.” We must believe in our hearts that “All Men [People] Are Created Equal;” that these ideals are not just beautiful poetry or language in our constitution, but the result of what happens when a group of imperfect, disenfranchised people come together to embark on an experiment to establish a democratic representative government – for and by the people. Dr. King was a champion and an example of these inherent rights we believe are given to all people. He dared to dream that true justice was achievable and must become a living, functioning part of our society.
Martin Luther King Jr. waves to supporters at the National Mall in Washington, August 28, 1963.
The MLK Holiday was introduced into Congress in 1976 by my home state of congressman, John Conyers (Michigan). It took another 7 years for the bill to be ultimately signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1983 and until the 2000s to embrace the day as a national holiday. Dr. King is the only African American and non-former U.S. president to ever receive such an honor and the first national celebration in January 1986 was a televised day of extreme pride and celebration not only for African Americans, but for all people who believe in freedom, justice, and equality the world over.
I remember that day especially well because I was there, singing with the Morehouse College Glee Club as a soloist on an arrangement of “The Impossible Dream” from the musical Man of La Mancha. It was my senior year, and the same college Dr. King attended as an early admitted student of 15 years old. I was honored to be a soloist and student director of the world-famous glee club under the direction of the late Dr. Wendell Phillips Whalum, world-renowned organist, music historian, and composer. It was Dr. Whalum who first introduced me to the King family while on staff at the Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King family church and former parish of his father, Martin Luther “Daddy” King, Sr. In fact, his niece and I were in the same class.
Martin Luther King Jr. attending the Historically College and University Morehouse College
That day will live on in me forever. The Glee Club had been invited by Mrs. Coretta Scott King to perform 2 numbers – Dr. King’s favorite Spiritual hymn, “There Is A Balm in Gilead” and “The Impossible Dream.” Oh, the euphoria we bathed in that day – we truly felt that we had in some way finally achieved the reality of that dream Dr. King talked about in the historical speech he delivered just two and a half miles away on the National Mall and the steps of the Lincoln Memorial:
With that day and the signing, we just knew we had done what many before us never thought possible – the nation was owning up to some grave wrongs of its past and pledging itself to move forward with a new agenda, one that would seek to embrace all of its citizens. One where we would no longer judge our neighbors by “the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” That day, that dream was truly alive. Today, the work continues as we struggle to hold ourselves to those ideals.
Dr. King said, “Injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere.” It is this quote that most resonates with me this year as we celebrate the life and legacy of this man who gave so much to this country. As we reflect on the continuing injustices around the globe, we may find ourselves at a place where we fear for the very soul of the nation. But we must not despair.
Watch the Morehouse College Glee Club performing Balm in Gilead and The Impossible Dream at the first celebration of Dr. King’s birthday as a federal holiday in Washington D.C. on January 16, 1986 (Samuel McKelton, tenor):
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As artists and creators, we are, literally, the keepers of the soul of our nation and our world. We must always use our voices and our talents to be a beacon of hope and uplift for our communities. We must use our gifts to both soothe the savage beasts and raise the conscience of those who are asleep or are indifferent to human suffering and neglect. We must use our words, our sounds, our visual art, and our dance to break through and tear down the barriers to just and righteous living. And when you find yourself alone and wondering what to do, whether to follow the crowd or your own moral compass, you might find some guidance in asking – What Would Martin Do?, and listen for the answers that come. I like to believe that his voice still speaks to us. “Do Justice,” he would say. “Simple, transformative, justice.”
With Pride,
Samuel McKelton Faculty, Musical Theatre: Voice
130 Claremont Avenue New York, New York 10027 212-749-2802
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