Judge Harry Rice appeared before county commissioners and asked the group to consider recognizing MLK Day in Madison County.
I emphatically agree with Judge Rice that MLK Day should be recognized in our county as a national holiday. MLK Day has been a national holiday for over 20 years and is recognized by all 50 states. In fact, in 2000, 17 years after the law’s official passage and the same year it pulled the Confederate flag down from its statehouse dome, South Carolina became the last state to sign a bill recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.
Although I’m sure that it is not the intent of the BOC, failure by our county to recognize MLK Day may be perceived by some as sending a message of racism and backwardness.
In the same Jan. 15 edition of the MCJ, an article titled “HAB defends county’s honor” appeared. It seems that a Morgan County Citizen columnist recently lampooned our county in a very derogatory way. The local up-and-coming Holman Autry Band responded by writing a song about being proud to be from Madison County. Failure to recognize a national holiday for over 20 years certainly leaves Madison County open for further lampooning.
The King Holiday and Service Act challenges Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action through volunteer service in honor of Dr. King. It was co-authored by Congressman John Lewis and signed into federal law in 1994. This year, there were many public service events organized throughout Georgia and the United States. Several years ago on MLK Day, I performed public service alongside Georgia Congresswoman Jane Kidd, cleaning brush from the overgrown Gospel Pilgrim Cemetery in Clarke County. This year, I was hoping to work locally, but to my dismay could not find a single public service work event taking place in Madison County.
I understand that the BOC is concerned about giving the county employees a paid day off for the holiday. My suggestion is to make MLK day “a day of service” not a “holiday from work.” Encourage all of the county employees and leaders to organize and lead public service events all over Madison County. This would be “leadership by example” and send an “honorable message” to our Madison County citizens and neighbors. Just think of the county improvements that we citizens could accomplish together! I’m sure that local church, community, and school groups would join in. In fact, if the BOC agrees to recognize MLK day, I will gladly and wholeheartedly volunteer to take a lead role in organizing public service events in our county next year.
In the words of Coretta Scott King, “This is not a black holiday; it is a people’s holiday.”
I ask the BOC to recognize MLK Day and encourage our citizens to perform a day of public service in 2010. The time for change is now!
Sincerely,
Ruth Ann Tesanovich
Colbert
