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VALDOSTA – The pages of historical past leap onto the colourful canvas of Christ the King Episcopal Church and Mack Park because the neighborhood paid homage to the trailblazers of civil rights with a dedication ceremony this previous Saturday.
Situated adjoining to Mack’s Park on McKey Road, the mural, devoted to commemorating influential figures in civil rights, LGBTQ rights and justice advocacy, presents a various assortment of portraits, every representing a notable particular person whose contributions have left an everlasting mark.
Among the many people depicted on the mural are:
– Saint Anna Alexander, acknowledged as a saint of the Diocese of Georgia since 1998.
– John Lewis, a distinguished civil rights chief who hailed from Georgia.
– Martin Luther King Jr., a globally famend civil rights icon and native of Georgia, identified for his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
– Howard Thurman, an influential writer, theologian and civil rights advocate.
– Marsha P. Johnson, a key determine within the LGBTQ rights motion.
– Mary Turner, a sufferer of the 1918 Georgia lynching rampage.
– Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man whose deadly taking pictures whereas jogging highlighted the persistence of racial tensions.
– Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou and Malcolm X, all acknowledged for his or her substantial roles within the civil rights motion.
Throughout the dedication ceremony, a number of audio system addressed the importance of the mural:
Bishop Frank Logue conveyed that the mural would supply future generations a visible illustration of historic figures, encouraging conversations about their contributions.
“The tales that we inform and the tales that we fail to inform say rather a lot a couple of neighborhood proper and in placing ahead a powerful piece of artwork like this. It presents to future generations, our youngsters and grandchildren, photographs that they should ask about and that we have to inform them about proper in order that they see faces that you just won’t see in any other case,” he mentioned.
Dr. Catherine Meeks emphasised the significance of brave public stands towards inequality, injustice and discrimination.
“We sit right here in the midst of a time when folks assume that something you select to make up about historical past might be adequate, so long as you don’t need to cope with the reality. and now we have to seek out methods to face towards that. and so I believe the methods to face towards it are to have braveness and imaginative and prescient and to be prepared to make a public witness day-after-day, each minute of our lives,” she mentioned.
“It is extremely simple to go downtown to exit someplace and discover the one who wants a lunch or wants a jacket and also you give that to them since you consider that everyone must have an opportunity to have what they want. It’s a totally different factor to place your self on document as being a witness towards inequality, injustice, racism, sexism and all of these different isms that separate us as a human household. and what I see this church doing at present is placing itself within the public sq. as a witness.”
Dr. Michael Noll then took the time to honor “good troublemakers” in addition to different unsung heroes who straight impacted Valdosta.
“I want to introduce you to the a part of the mural that’s really not defined on the flyer. The mural is, for sensible functions, not simply on the wall of our church however it’s additionally a part of Mack Park. … Mack was a beloved member of the neighborhood and likewise a member of the LGBTQ neighborhood on the town when he handed away in 2000. Principally two years later, the neighborhood had come collectively to dedicate the house to make it Mack Park. So we included him in addition to others locally who’ve handed away,” he mentioned.
These figures embrace:
– Jane Elza, a member of Valdosta State College’s Political Science Division.
– Karen Noll, a mentor to rising speech language pathologists at VSU.
– Dr. Linda Bennett Elder, a retired professor of non secular research at VSU.
– Charles Todd, retired Lowndes Excessive Faculty band director.
– Father Stan White, who served because the Episcopal priest and rector of Christ the King Episcopal Church for 30 years
Noll concluded the ceremony by reminding attendees that the mural, past its aesthetics, stands as a reminder of historic struggles and a testomony to the continuing pursuit of justice and equality and encapsulates the neighborhood’s dedication to preserving the reminiscence of those that have labored to create constructive change.
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