Recognition of the 50th anniversary of UK’s involvement in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King was capped off with a nearly two-hour program that gave the audience a chance to hear from those who worked on the front lines of the Civil Rights Movement, including Louisville activist Mattie Jones.
"To my white brothers and sisters, I say to you all today that you must speak up and you must stand up tall. You cannot be silent because there is not a difference when it comes to love and respect and knowing people are human being regardless of what color they are," Jones said. "And if you sit silent, the ball will continue to roll in the manner that it is rolling to this day, we will not have the beloved community that Dr. King spoke about."
The panelists recounted not only past injustices, and the adversity they faced, but of the echoes they see today in events such as the January 6 Capitol riot.
But guests also stressed the regular, day-to-day work it takes to heal wounds that are difficult to mend. Despite progress made since the Civil Rights era, speakers said the movement remains a work-in-progress.
"Now it's a different type of fight. We're not in the streets knocking people on the head and we're not sitting in Black and white counters," UK's Michael Preacely told WUKY. "It's a different type of uniting that we have to do now, but it still needs to be done."
A product himself of the Chicago youth choir that got audience members out of their seats at the event, Preacely said the group, now known as Uniting Voices Chicago, was formed with a multiple missions in mind.
"The goal of Christopher Moore, our founder 65 years ago, was... to unite children, to unite our factions who were fighting against one another," he said.
And that same idea – bringing together kids from all backgrounds, not just African-American – to create that sense of unity early is coming to Central Kentucky with the creation of Uniting Voices Lexington.
"It's a universal language," Preacely said of music. "It speaks to your soul, to the inner fiber of your being."
Preacely hopes Lexington will get its first look and listen to Uniting Voices Lexington by next winter.
