Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce hosts event in honor of MLK

By Clifford L. Williams,
Globe City Editor

Several thousand city residents and parishioners of Acts Full Gospel Church in East Oakland filled the church’s sanctuary on Monday to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the anniversary of his 79th birthday.


  A dozen children from the Acts Christian Academy took the stage and recited poems and short stories about what King means to them. Church leaders noted that “the things we instill in these children today should be the same things Martin instilled in his children.”
    Keynote speaker Assemblyman Sandré Swanson talked about his meeting with Coretta Scott King in 1977. “I remember her talking about children and preparing them for the next generation,” said Swanson. “So as we celebrate the dream, it’s all about how we educate our children and how we protect them as they move on. The dream is a call to action of each generation to do their part. There’s a lot for us to do.”
    The event was presented by the Oakland African American Chamber of Commerce with co-sponsors including the Baptist Minster’s Union; Bay Cities Baptist Union; Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, NAACP; Oakland Coalition of Clergy; Oakland Community Organizations; and the Pastors of Oakland Association. Clergy and pastors representing those organizations also addressed the congregation.
    Singer Jeanie Tracy-Smith performed the black national anthem, “Life Every Voice and Sing,” and Pastor Mark Clifton of East Oakland COGIC presented King’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream.”