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Message of hope honors legacy

"The Color of Love," a celebration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., draws crowds.

By ELENA LESLEY
Published January 16, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Stephen J. Coddington] Amber Vieux, center, 8, of Inverness performs with a dance troupe from Greater Mount Carmel Baptist Church at Crystal River's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Monday. The troupe danced to the Stevie Wonder song Happy Birthday, a tribute to King, in honor of the slain civil rights leader.

CRYSTAL RIVER - Dreams are nice. But they're not enough.

You need a stable environment, quality education, discipline and knowledge "to make dreams come to reality," said Andrea McCray-Holly, keynote speaker at Crystal River's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration Monday.

"Martin Luther King had a dream; our children have dreams," she said. But, she added, many local youths aren't getting the support they need to attain their goals. And that support needs to come from their community.

"I want to bring you a message of hope," she said, looking over the multiracial crowd gathered in Copeland Park. "Coming together for one day is great. But let's do it every day."

Residents from throughout the county turned out to celebrate King's achievements during the parade and community gathering on Monday. But McCray-Holly and others reminded the crowd that there is still work to be done.

They hope that their revamped celebration of King's legacy, "The Color of Love," will help lay the foundation for future action.

Festivities to honor the slain civil rights leader halted in 2005. Community members who had traditionally organized a march for King were getting older, and no one took on the planning responsibilities.

Bishop Leonard Smith of Fountain of Life Ministries and Tara Bryant, community director for Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church, brought the event back last year.

This time, McCray-Holly joined their organizing duo.

She left her job at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and moved home about a year ago to be closer to family. She immediately threw herself into improving her childhood community.

"She's been instrumental," Smith said, introducing McCray-Holly during the community celebration that followed Monday's parade. "We welcome her energy, efforts and talent."

McCray-Holly spearheaded the organization of several new events, including a minority business summit and teen summit, to add to the weekend's celebration of King.

"The color of money isn't black or white," she joked. "It's green."

While children enjoyed the more frivolous aspects of King Day on Monday - bounce castles, clowns and a picnic in the park - McCray-Holly had a serious message for their parents.

If your kids are getting into trouble, "step up, be that parent, that adult," she said.

When she was growing up, McCray-Holly said, there was a strong network of adults watching out for her.

"What you didn't get at home, you got at school. What you didn't get at school, you got at church," said McCray-Holly, whose grandmother, Annie McCray, was a longtime teacher in Citrus and a pillar of the community.

McCray, now 84, beamed Monday as her granddaughter spoke.

But McCray-Holly said too many children growing up today in Crystal River don't have that kind of support network.

She admitted that the local black community, in particular, has had its share of challenges. McCray-Holly described how her grandmother's childhood home was burned down when her family refused to pay a black-only tax, and referenced the 1993 shooting of her uncle, Jerome Bunch, by Crystal River police.

But she insisted that people had to move past this legacy of racial tension and isolation.

"Those are things of yesterday," she said, "not things of today."

To help Crystal River residents realize the potential of King's dream, McCray-Holly has formed the Community Action Foundation of Citrus County. She's already planning upcoming summits and a summer program for local children.

"Don't expect this to be a one-time celebration," she told the crowd. "Look for things coming up."

Elena Lesley can be reached at elesley@sptimes.com or 564-3627.

[Last modified January 15, 2007, 23:12:16]