Middletowners Come Together on MLK Day to 'Remember, Celebrate, Act'

A luncheon held at the on Monday drew about 150 people to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for the 26th Annual National Holiday Celebration.

The event was one of on Aquidneck Island to honor Dr. King’s life, dedication, work and commitment to equality and the advances made particularly for African-Americans.

Reporter Audrey Washington of WJAR NBC-10 Providence served as mistress of ceremonies and the invocation was given by Reverend Cynthia Smothers, who said Dr. King worked for “unity and diversity in his lifetime.”

Newport County NAACP President Joyce Williams took the podium and, after paying tribute to Dr. King, she turned the address over to Renee Caldwell who performed a stirring musical selection.  

Guest speaker Captain Synthia S. Jones, of the United States Naval War College, spoke of growing up in Daphne, Alabama in the 1960s.

“Segregation was a way of life and Jim Crow laws were the norm,” said Jones, but noted, “We were not taught to hate white people."

Although the Civil Rights movement started in 1955, Alabama schools were not forced to segregate until 1969 or 1970, noted Jones. She recalled transforming from an all black third grade classroom to an integrated fourth grade the next year.

“It wasn’t much different from the third grade. Some of the kids looked different. That’s all,” she said. Jones continued, “My family valued education as a way to get ahead in society.”

She urged everyone in attendance to “remember, celebrate, act” and that Martin Luther King Jr. Day was “a day on, not a day off.”

After the luncheon, Fern Lima, Treasurer of the NAACP of Newport County said, “Education is the key to our success.”

Also in attendance was George Triplett, who served on the Newport School Committee for sixteen years and is the only African-American to have a Newport school named after him. He echoed that sentiment. “Education is very important. I believe the younger generation needs to step up to the plate and become involved in education and politics. I think they are receptive to change,” he said.

“I thank God every day for Dr. King,” said Triplett.

Marquise Scott, a student a St. Michael’s Country Day School, said, "We need to talk to the children. If we stop the problems before they start, there won’t be problems.”

Talia Scott, a young lady about the age of six, summed it up, “Martin Luther King didn’t believe in violence. He was a good man.”