They say a picture is worth a 1,000 words but I say it more like one or even a million depending on the picture. Pictures speak. Pictures can heal or they can divide. We value pictures because it gives a better sense of who a person was during their lifetime.
At an art gallery I like to gaze at pictures and try to imagine what a person would have been like and I'm sure more times than not I am probably wrong but its fun anyhow. I have had the greatest privilege on April 19, 1997 as an undergraduate at Canisius College to attend an address given by the late Mrs. King at Daemen College in Amherst, New York just outside of the city of Buffalo.
When I heard that Mrs. King would give an address I knew within my heart this was my opportunity to take hold of history and I didn't want to waste it. Despite the challenge of not having my license or access to a car I was determined to attend Mrs. King's talk. I took two buses and a train to get there and it was worth it. I was one of the final people to enter and I sat towards the back of the Wick Center. During her talk she talked about loving others and I learned how important it is to live a life of excellence through love. Mrs. King and my mother who are like, so many in history have done the impossible with God's help. They have spread wisdom, beauty, and feminine grace through their good works. The most important thing that I learned from Mrs. King is that the gifts that we have, have to be cultivated daily using wisdom and grace but most of all God's love. These gifts is what makes a person truly beautiful. To have been able to spend a moment of time in her presence has shaped my outlook and molded me into the woman that I am today. A woman of hope, strength, and wisdom who constantly inspires others each day.
As a child I learned about the Kings by reading biographies at the library. I also had the opportunity to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta as a teacher with a good friend of mine. I also have visited the Memorial Garden in Edgewater, Maryland located near Annapolis which was one of the first momuments dedicated to Mrs. King for being a human rights advocate. What I admire most about Mrs. King was that she had a heart for the disenfranchised no matter who they were, she had a heart for the hurting and the loss. Even today her voice still rings out for them.
I'm not sure if I used 1,000 words or a 100 words all I know is that I am blessed to have been able to see with my own eyes one of my hero's, one of my superstars. Mrs. King would forever be a beacon of wisdom, beauty, and grace for me and even now two decades later I can still picture the moment of being in her presence as she shared important moments of her life. How hard she worked to make Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day a reality.
May God continue to bless you as you embark on your journey of self discovery. In Jesus Name, Amen.
From the desk of Esther Kamoche Robinson 05.10.23. EST 6:00 am
(wix pic)
Sources used to fact check information:
Buffalo News, Tues, April 1997, D-1 "North Edition." Powered by Newspaper.
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