On the eve of Obama’s inauguration, Reidsville honors King

A spirit of remembrance, hope and anticipation was felt on the steps of Reidsville City Hall on Monday afternoon.

On the eve of the inauguration of the first black president of the United States, Reidsville residents gathered to honor the life of black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Elder Mona Lisa Covington of Greensboro spoke about the realization of King’s dream and the parallels between the civil rights movement that King led and Barack Obama’s “Yes, we can!“ presidential campaign.

“Today is the day Dr. King’s dream has come true. Dr. King, your dream on that day of Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, has come true,“ Covington said. “And Obama not only broke the ultimate racial barrier, but also spoke about race as no other politician has ever expressed. He was uniquely able to see the question from both sides of the color line even as he embraced his black identity.“

Covington said King and Obama were believers who employed faith to promote change. In King’s day, schools, parks, restaurants and public transportation were segregated. But one famous day in 1955, a lady named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus for a white man. Parks was arrested and King called for a boycott of the buses. After the boycott, the bus companies were ordered to end segregation. Now, said Covington, African-Americans can attend the school of their choice, take a seat on a bus next to a white person, eat at any restaurant, and use any parks and theaters.

“We are not segregated, we are integrated,“ Covington said.

Obama faces some difficult challenges, such as the recession, and the war in Iraq. But Covington believes that Obama, with the help of the American people, can overcome, just as King overcame racial inequalities and prejudices in his day.

“Martin and Obama have given us a different perspective on life,“ she said. “Martin believed, ‘We shall overcome,‘ and Obama believed ‘We have overcome.‘ Martin believed, ‘I have a dream’ and Obama believed, ‘I am the dream.‘ Martin said, ‘I have been to the mountain top, I have seen the promised land.‘ Obama believed, ‘We are on the mountain top and we shall enter the promised land.‘“

Covington ended her speech on an encouraging note - “Yes, we can - Yes, we did - Yes, and God did!“

• Staff writer Miranda Baines can be reached at or 349-4331, ext. 35.