The message at last night’s Bloomington’s MLK day celebration came with a warning from the keynote speaker - some people might be offended. That was after she referred to President Trump as Terrorist in Chief.
But most at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater cheered and applauded Dr. Melina Abdullah’s message after a full program of song, dance, and speeches.
Abdullah is Professor and Chair of Pan-African Studies at California State University in Los Angeles. She’s one of the organizers who formed Black Lives Matter and continues to serve as a Los Angeles chapter leader.
Abdullah says the focus need to turn to homegrown terrorism.
"Not only in places like Bloomington where I understand that you have white-supremacist groups, but also in big cities. The biggest surges in what they call hate crimes – we need to stop calling them hate crimes and need to call them acts of white terrorism."
She says to make progress, our bodies and voices must be on the line.
"Our forbearers were disruptive, we must be too. Don’t be polite. Even when it’s liberal white-supremacy, challenge it. Black folks and white folks and non-black people of color, it’s all of our responsibility to use our voice."
Monroe County Commissioner Lee Jones called for participating in local government.
"We challenge you to join a county or city board or commission. These are some of the best ways to effect the future of our community.”
Mayor John Hamilton says King has been gone for 52 years, but his words mean the same today.
"We need the still sounding echoes of so many inspiring words like true peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice.”
Hamilton presented David Hummons the city's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy Award for his lifelong commitment to justice, passion for serving others and deep community involvement.
Hummons recently retired after a 48-year career at Indiana University serving on a number of groups and implementing several initiatives including community health screenings and the creation of the Outstanding Black Leader of Tomorrow Awards.
