“There is so much division in this country,” Hawkins observed. “It’s not only racism and classism, but I think people feel so disenfranchised. And they think that coming together that when all of us have rights, it’s taking away from their rights. If others are gaining something that they haven’t had before, that they are trying to improve the plight of all people, unfortunately, there is an element in this society that uses propaganda to really get people to believe that things are being taken away from them. People are really trying to keep what they have, many who were in the power structure and those that didn’t have the power of the power structure. The majority were fed a bunch of propaganda when they said that they would lose out and it was to their advantage to try to subjugate other who were unlike them. In many ways, we have a similar scenario going on now where it is not just race, but also people who really are social justice people. They are also being pushed to a point where the propaganda is being said that people who are social justice people are also the enemy. They are trying to take things away from them. I think, in many ways, that is the scenario in the 21^st century. Some of the characters are different. But still, they are trying to relive many of the things that occurred one and a half centuries ago.”

In the face of this division and acrimony, it is King’s talk of love that stands out as almost a rational, clear alternative to the present political rage and turmoil.

“In a lot of ways, I would say your question on how Dr, King could guide us through these divisive times, brings to mind a few leaders throughout our history who truly could exemplify the commitment to bringing people together like Dr. King,” said Ed Lee, the other King Coalition co-chair. “His teachings, work and life were rooted in faith, music, Gandhi and non-violence. These are lessons and philosophies that we should be looking to today. He literally has a famous speech he delivered called, ‘Love Your Enemy.’ What more appropriate thing for all of us to pause and read at this juncture in our history?”

“I think really trying to bring people together and help us all just stop for a moment and try to think about what are the things in our lives that are a priority, principally ones that are for our children and the people whom we love,” Hawkins added. “When people begin to hopefully think about having a better life, having comforts, having the best for their loved ones, I would hope that some of Dr. King’s speeches would resonate with people and that would help us to calm down and not be filled with rage. I think that those passages would let people see that there is a common element in terms of what we all want for our families and our loved ones. That will also permeate to the community and neighborhoods in which we live and then the country.”

The national theme for the King Holiday this year is “It Starts with Me: Shifting Priorities to Create the Beloved Community.”

And it speaks to the need for people to change that which is within their control and that begins with one’s own perspective and values.

“Let us focus on some of those basic things because that is how we are all connected,” Hawkins said. “I do believe that we all want some of the same things. And they are the same things that I have probably said about people whom I feel are probably some of the worst people walking on this earth because they are so mean-spirited. I think if we really begin to prioritize some things that we’ve done personally and we want for people who are in our lives whom we care about and then move further within the community in which we live, I think we’ll come down to saying some of the same things that there are commensurate. That’s the key. In his speeches, even though many of them were fiery, many of them were really calming also and they resonated with people. What he also was really putting forth was that we are a beloved community and therefore, there is a common thread in what we want for ourselves and our community and our country. And we all at one point believed in democracy. I don’t know what people believe in now as a country or as a whole. But I think that we all believe in this democracy. If we could somehow bring people together to begin to think about what are the basic principles within democracy. It’s about democracy for all people.”

Like last year, the celebration of Dr. King’s vision for a beloved community will be virtual. There will be many celebrations happening on the Internet, radio and television throughout the four-day weekend.

“We obviously won’t be having a Community Dinner on Friday,” Lee said. “But we are trying to work on a partnership with Little John’s to be able to distribute free community meals to those who are facing extreme food insecurity. Hopefully we’ll have more details to report on that. Some of the other traditional community activities I think that are happening like the I Have a Dream Ball are virtual. At this point, the Urban League is planning a drive-thru version of its breakfast event. The ecumenical service is being put together again with First Unitarian Society. They are helping to put together a video production. That will be a virtual event. On Monday, the plan had originally been for the youth event to be half day virtual and half day in-person. I think the decision was made yesterday to go all virtual. There will be a Youth Call to Service event on Monday morning. There will be a variety of workshops exploring Dr. King’s life, his teachings, and ways to live out Dr. King’s vision today.”

And while it may be virtual, the 37th Annual City-County King Holiday Celebration will still have many of the same elements that fill people with a sense of Dr. King’s hope and vision. It will include the Call for Action and the Litany of Rededication

“Our emcee will be Tahleel Mohieldin, a reporter for WISC-TV,” Hawkins said. “We’ll have our Community Choir, which will probably be singing from Mt. Zion Baptist Church following all of the health protocols in keeping with Public Health of Madison/Dane County guidelines. We will be giving out three Martin Luther King Jr. awards. County Executive Joe Parisi, Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and the chair of the King committee, Corinda Rainey-Moore will be giving out the awards. Our guest speaker the daughter of Malcolm X and Betty Shabazz, Ilyasah Shabazz. She will be our keynote speaker and brings a wealth of experiences in terms of one who promotes education and very much involved in humanitarian activity.”