Glen Cove ceremony honors Martin Luther King’s legacy

The wind chill on Martin Luther King Day plummeted below zero, but that didn’t stop dozens of Glen Cove residents, city officials and state dignitaries from gathering in the First Baptist Church of Glen Cove for the city’s annual march to honor the civil rights icon.

This year marked the city’s 35th march. Sheryl Goodine, chairwoman of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Commemorative Commission, whose father was one of the event’s creators, and First Baptist associate minister Carol Buchanan led the marchers in prayer before announcing that they would forgo the traditional walk to Finley Middle School in favor of a motorcade, so they could avoid being subjected to the lowest temperatures of the winter so far.

Once everyone arrived at Finley’s Wunsch Auditorium, the commemorative program began. After several calls of “Harambe!” Swahili for “all pull together,” Goodine introduced the theme of this year’s celebration, “Transforming Dr. King’s Dream Into Action,” which was echoed by its speakers and performers.

Mayor Tim Tenke spoke of his admiration for the students of the Glen Cove School District, who had created a “March for Our Lives” event after the school shooting in Parkland, Fla., last February. “When I look at the students in our audience,” he said, “I want to acknowledge how the Glen Cove youth are standing up and taking action for what they believe in.”

Tenke added that he was proud to see that Glen Cove’s young people were following King’s philosophy of caring for others through actions, a sentiment that elicited enthusiastic applause.

U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi presented the Commemorative Commission with a certificate of congressional recognition, and spoke about the importance of taking action. “That’s where it started with this organization,” he said. “That’s where it starts with everything that’s ever changed in the course of history.”

The ceremony featured performances by Glen Cove High School’s select chorale and drumline, young dancers from the Edge School of the Arts dance company and the First Baptist Church Adult Choir. The theme of all of the performances was the importance of speaking out about equality for all, and King’s enduring legacy.

Before the ceremony, Goodine told the Herald Gazette that she believed it is as important to remember King’s message now as it has ever been because of the tumultuous state of the country. If King were still alive, she said, “I think he would be giving another speech about how the check has come back reading ‘insufficient funds’ because there is not justice and equality for all in our country as yet.”

“I think he would be delivering another speech about how his dream has not been realized,” Goodine added, “and what we need to do as a people [and] as a nation to make the dream finally be real for everyone in this country.”

Asked what Americans can do to make King’s dream come true, she said, “I believe if people respected each other more, loved each other more, were kind to each other and add a sprinkling of tolerance, that would certainly help.”

Goodine also noted the importance of getting to know people from other backgrounds. “Once you do,” she said, “you’ll realize that we all have much more in common than we have differences.”