Friday, January 25, 2008

Harwich Remembers Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.



Harwich - About 60 people, many of them students from Harwich High School, turned out at town hall Monday for the annual commemoration of the birthday of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.


Organized by Harwich No Place for Hate, the program featured singing, talks and a moment of silence. John Bangert, a local leader of the No Place for Hate initiative, served as master of ceremonies while William Crowell, a Harwich Port real estate lawyer, gave the keynote speech. Crowell is a member of the Southern Poverty Law Center, in Montgomery, Ala., and related to the audience his experience at the dedication two years ago of the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery.


State Rep. Sarah Peake (4th Barnstable District) also addressed the group, and spoke about King’s legacy. Selectmen Robin Wilkins and Ed McManus attended.



Harwich High School junior Amira Downes offered a community prayer and affirmation in a reading from the Koran. Others stood or took the podium to express their feelings about King and the ongoing struggle for civil rights.


Local girl and boy scouts led the group in the Pledge of Allegience, and several scouts served as honor guard. The hour-long program took place in the Griffin Room.

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