Hundreds gather in Bright Hopewell Baptist Church on Martin Luther King Day.
Tomeka Sinclair | The Laurinburg Exchange
The Rev. Nathaniel Cox was the keynote speaker and delivered a rousing message to the audience at the Scotland Branch of the NAACP’s MLK Day March and Service.
Tomeka Sinclair | The Laurinburg Exchange
LAURINBURG — For decades Bright Hopewell Baptist Church has been the landing spot for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day service in Scotland County.
That did not change Monday, when hundreds marched and then gathered in remembrance of civil rights activist King, who would have turned 95, in a celebration sponsored by the Scotland Branch of the NAACP.
“We have continued to open our doors so that you have a place where you can come and share and reflect,” said Rep. Garland Pierce, pastor of the church.
Harriet Jackson, chair of the Scotland County Board of Elections, came and informed those in attendance about changes when it comes to voting in North Carolina, and debunked misconceptions in voting, while also encouraging them to get out and exercise their right.
“This is not a privilege, it is a right and it’s a right that Dr. King and others fought for and died for to ensure that every American has this right,” Jackson said.
Jackson noted that there was a total of 21,383 “folks in Scotland County, citizens, who have registered” to vote.
“Sadly to say, only about half of those folks really participate in the elections,” Jackson said. “That is an eye-opening for me as board chairman. Every voter, every person registered to vote, should be exercising their right to vote.”
The crowd heard from local storyteller Tyris Jones, who told the story of how the senior Martin Luther King visited the Spring Branch Baptist Church in Wagram on June 12, 1978, during what was known as Spring Branch Day.
“The sermon on that day was ‘Don’t let your hate bog you down,’” Jones said. “That’s what it read on the front page of The Laurinburg Exchange in 1978.”
The Rev. Nathaniel Cox was the keynote speaker and delivered a rousing message to the audience.
During his sermon, Cox referenced several musical artists like Prince, Michael and Janet Jackson and Harry Belafonte to impart his message.
“You do know we have civil rights martyrs? The late Christopher Wallace (Notorious B.I.G.) said it this way ‘You’re nobody until somebody kills you’… It cost Dr. King something to preach this message. It cost him his life,” Cox said.