“If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” - Dr. Martin L. King Jr.
Many gathered to march from the Governor’s Park to the Choctaw County Courthouse as a way to honor and commemorate the life of Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. in the annual Choctaw County NAACP MLK Parade.
The Grand Marshal and Grand Marshal Emeritus for the parade were Gladys Ward and Geneva Pratt. The two educators were former teachers at the former Reform-Panhandle Head Start. Ward was a teacher for 43 years, beginning at the center when it was in the Millspring community and continuing when the center moved to what’s now the Choctaw County Alumni Park on Pickle Street.
Teaching and nurturing the many young minds that came through the head start center, giving them the start that they needed to go on and do great things in life.
The two are not only active in their respective communities of Spay-Panhandle and Reform but their active in their local churches. Ward attends First Unity United Methodist Church and Pratt attends Reform Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. The two are members of Choctaw County NAACP, the Choctaw County High School Alumni Association, the Choctaw County Democratic Party, and numerous other organizations that serve the community.
“When she first asked me, I told her no,” Ward said. “But, you can’t tell Dr. Bryant and Dr. Thompson no. But I thank them for recognizing me.”
After the march, participants sang “We Shall Overcome” while walking into the courtroom where the program took place. The youth for the NAACP led the program with a welcome and occasion by Amya Golliday and Kelis Sherman of Friendship Baptist Church, prayer by Landon Liggins of First Unity United Methodist Church, scripture by Abby Lee of Bethlehem Baptist Church, pledge by Madilyn McCurry of FIrst Unity United Methodist Church, songs by the Millspring Missionary Baptist Church Youth, and a poem by Calasian Fair of St. Luke Full Gospel Baptist Church. There was a melody of spirituals by Sandra Kirkwood of Greater Hope Pentecostal Church before the speaker for the event Dr. I. D. Thompson, was introduced by his nephew, Pastor Danya Turner.
Thompson spoke of his life growing up in the Spay-Panhandle community and going to school in a two room schoolhouse before going to the Choctaw County Vocational High School in Ackerman.
“I pulled a mule, picked cotton, grew corn, anything we needed to do to survive on the little farm we had,” Thompson said. He said he learned how to grow and nurture crops and in the same sense a dream was just like that.
“The ID Thompson definition of a dream is that it is abstract. Something that is not tangible but it exist as though it is real.”
Thompson began to speak on the conditions and limitations that he grew up in while being bused from Spay to Ackerman.
“Our bus would frequently break down between Spay and Ackerman because it was an old bus. When we got our books, there would be several names already in them and our pages would start on page 25.”
But, he didn’t allow the restrictions that were placed on black people at the time to keep him from earning his diploma or several other degrees. Instead, it was his motivation as it was Dr. King’s motivations. Not to allow the things that were taken place to be the limit by which black people were to live, but to exceed that limit quoting King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
“In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked insufficient funds.” - “I Have a Dream”
“The check had no funds. Not for you, but for those of another color,” Thompson said. “Mississippi…Mississippi was tough. They were resistant.” He said at the time senators like former Mississippi Senator John C. Stennis and the former Governor Ross Barnett didn’t want Head Start to operate.
“But, Dr. King believed that we should teach all children the same,” Thompson said. Toward the end of his speech, he challenged Choctaw COunty.
“If we were really living in Dr. King’s dream, this crowd would be 50/50. But, where are they?” Thompson said, stating that living the real dream of Dr. King would be a mixed crowd of white and black people, rather than all black crowd. “Choctaw County, you’ve got a challenge. It could be the same next year. If you are really celebrating the dream of Dr. King. Choctaw County could lead the way. But you’ve got to start the conversation.”
