By Danny Atkinson
Voice Writer
The West Haven Black Coalition (WHBC) honored the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr (MLK) with its annual tribute to him at the First Congregational Church of West Haven (FCCWH) on Sunday, Jan. 12 in front of a large and energetic audience. Now in its 39th year, the celebration featured music associated with the civil rights movement from multiple choral groups, and speeches by community and church leaders and politicians from throughout the state and even Harlem.
The tribute featured many speakers over its over two and a half hours. In addition to the annual host and WHBC director Carroll E. Brown, speakers of note included FCCWH pastor, the Rev. Carl Howard, keynote speaker, the Rev. Orsella Hughes, the pastor of St. Luke AME Church in Harlem, West Haven Mayor Derinda Borer, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz.
Music was performed by the Co-Op High School chorus, the Heritage Chorale, and the St. Luke AME Choir, with Harriet Alfred also singing the Mariah Carey song “Hero.” Jonathan Q. Berryman was the music director for the tribute.
Following brief greetings by Brown and master of ceremonies Sean Hardy, local musician Vicky Moriconde sang “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”. Rev. Howard, who has participated in the tribute for 14 years, kicked it off with a passionate invocation. He spoke about the need to live with honor, as King and other civil rights leaders did, and to carry on their legacy.
“We are their legacy and living testimonies of their strength, sacrifices and vision for a better tomorrow,” Howard prayed. “May we live with honor and carry forth their spirit as we uplift our voices in gratitude.”
The invocation was immediately followed by an audio clip of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech and went right into Alfred leading the entire church in a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, dubbed by many as the Black national anthem.
The scripture reading was performed by the Rev. Andre Cortez-Guilford, Jr., the Interim Pastor at Dixwell Congregational Church in New Haven. She read a passage from the Book of Ezekiel (34:11-16 ESV), which speaks about God finding and bringing together sheep (men) in Israel, that are lost or missing, weak, and injured. By doing so, the passage reads “I will feed them in justice”. The scripture reading alluded to how King fought for the rights of disenfranchised African Americans, and ultimately helped pass legislation like the Civil Rights Act.
Mayor Borer was the first speaker not associated with FCCWH. Borer, who has a strong working relationship with Brown and WHBC and has spoken at the tribute before, gave a message of greetings. It talked about how King’s work highlighted the importance of equality to successful democracy, and the need to embrace his message of helping one another to strengthen our communities. Borer elaborated on why she chose to focus on these ideas in the message a few days later.
“In creating my message, I first want to make sure that I welcome everyone so that any non-residents know we are a community that welcomes visitors. I then focused on MLK’s underlying messages, looking for comparisons from the year he died (1968) to today, and what progress Americans have made sense then and what we must do as a group to continue progressing. As this city’s leader, it’s important in my speech for those to know I take the role seriously and embrace the work we have ahead of us.”
At the end of her speech, Borer announced that she was officially recognizing the date of the tribute as Marin Luther King Day in West Haven. She said that she wanted there to be a local designation for the holiday, and to celebrate his work saying, “it’s an important time to stop, reflect and revisit MLK’s vision.”
The Co-op High School Chorus performed two songs before Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz’s speech, “Hand in Hand” and “Golden Streets”. She spoke about all the remarkable female leaders that participated in the Civil Rights movement. In addition to his wife Coretta Scott, she mentioned Ella Baker, who advised Dr. King and Thurgood Marshall among others, Dorothy Heights, who organized the March on Washington, and Constance Baker Motley, who argued court cases that would help desegregate multiple Southern universities.
While the previous speakers all left memorable impressions, the moment she went on stage, it was clear why Rev. Hughes was chosen as the keynote speaker for the tribute. Hughes, who was a pastor in both Danbury and Hartford before becoming the first female pastor of St. Luke AME Church, was introduced by her friend Opal Harmon and a performance of “Can’t Stop Praising His Name” by the St. Luke Choir.
Hughes began her keynote speech by citing Proverb 29, verse 18 from the Bible, which reads “Where there is no vision, the people perish; but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.” She said that this need for vision is what propelled MLK’s work and having vision and being aware of what is happening in the moment will allow people to move forward and make an impact on the world. Hughes said that having vision will allow leaders to address the lack of equal opportunities and equity for African Americans and other minorities even today.
“This is not the world that King envisioned. I don’t believe that climbing to the mountaintop was supposed to take 57 years. We must take lessons from what has happened in the past to decide what we’re going to do going forward to make that vision different,” Hughes preached.
Hughes also cited the proverb to argue there must be a vision for minority communities that can help them to succeed, or they could fail. She believes Dr. King would want the audience to understand the needs and desires of community members to make sure their needs are met.
Hughes emphasized the needs to listen to young people who are being heavily affected by crises like the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I don’t know what it was like to get to the end of high school and not have my graduation in person. But we are dealing with children experiencing this, and until we walk a mile in their shoes, we can’t understand what that time of life meant (for them),” she said.
Hughes ended her speech by building on Bysiewicz’s mentions of the need to make good trouble, saying that it is the best way to help communities and people of all ages. To do so, Hughes said people must be willing to collaborate and learn from one another.
Many attending cited Hughes keynote address as a highlight. Borer and Berryman each said it was uplifting, while Brown said she was told people loved the pastor and the St. Luke Choir and many demanded the WHBC bring her back. Brown said Hughes had implied she would again be a keynote speaker next year depending on the availability of her and the choir.
While Hughes may have been tough act to follow, the remaining speakers emphasized the remarkable legacy of Martin Luther King and how to learn from his example in 2025. The speakers included a variety of politicians, civic leaders and school officials.
Sen. Blumenthal, who has been attending the tribute for 17 years, discussed the immediate need for politicians to follow the principles of MLK’s work and fight injustice to honor King’s legacy. Dr. Joseph Johnon, the Deputy Superintendent of Waterbury Public Schools, applied his experience as a school administrator to argue that both himself and male audience members “needed to ask themselves how to measure up when everyone needs you”, in particular their sons.
“The ultimate measure of a man is how he stands up in times of challenge and conflict. Let’s remember we can honor MLK by trying to measure up,” Johnson said.
A performance of “The God of Angel Armies” by the Heritage Chorale was performed amidst this run of speakers. Berryman said the song was selected because it reflected the historic aspect of the Civil Rights Movement that speaks to current American society, “as citizens prepare for more intense civic engagement over the next four years”. Berryman added that the wide variety of songs performed during the MLK tribute “are associated with the Civil Rights movement during King’s time and therefore reflective of the continuation of the movement.”
Brown praised the Heritage Choir and said she would also want to have them perform next year.
“It gives a strong community feeling when everyone is on their feet singing and swaying together which is indicative of part of MLK’s message; community unity,” Borer said.
Brown and Howard closed out the speaking for the tribute. Brown, who found the WHBC and has led it since its inception, issued a call to action for more residents to get involved in political activities for the good of West Haven.
“We (the African American community) need to be more involved in political activities in West Haven and other towns. You must push your kids and grandkids to be involved because they are tomorrow’s future. We as adults have the responsibility of continuing the life of the city and its neighborhoods. Politics runs everything that we do. We’re a strong organization, but we need more members,” she concluded.
Following Alfred’s performance of “Hero,” Howard’s final benediction was simple.
“Dr. King says that faith is taking the first step, even if you don’t know the steps you’re taking on the staircase you’re walking. The spirit of Dr. King is in all of us. Speaking up must be done, no matter the circumstances or situation. I want to encourage us to take the step of faith and to do it with all of your might, and God will be with you.”
Howard discussed how he prepared for his speeches before the tribute.
“My benediction and invocation were designed to understand that the past struggles of people of African descent, particularly of those ancestors who suffered, would one day be abolished. I wanted my words to be heartfelt while still communicating the struggles Blacks have and our still enduring, despite the advancements that have occurred,” Howard said. “I was satisfied with what I communicated.”
This message of peace and harmony was strengthened in the final moments of the tribute. The entire audience sang along with the choirs as they sang “Let There Be Peace” and “We Shall Overcome”.
Howard was very satisfied with the tribute.
“I thought it went very well. Our goal was to keep Dr. King’s message front and center, which meant that all parts of the tribute were equally important. There can never be enough discussion of the need for racial and social justice for Blacks, particularly at this time in American history.”
The energy and passion was summed up l by an attendee, who went by the last name of Wilson. Mr. Wilson, who belongs to a church in Hamden, called the speeches “very meaningful” and “splendid”. He was especially inspired by the messages of standing up and speaking out when issues need to be corrected in society. Mr. Wilson said that unique events like the tribute bring people together.
“Having both this event and similar ones reminds us that we are one nation. No matter your nationality or skin color, we are one people created in God’s image.”