‘The March is Not Over’: Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration held at Springfield Baptist Church

King’s speech was supposed to be four minutes long.

But Jackson hollered out to King during his address. She said, “Tell ‘em about the dream, Martin!”

And King went off script, delivering the famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Bolden shared this anecdote during his address, “The March is Not Over,” to the crowd that gathered at Springfield Baptist Church in Comer Monday for the 17th annual Madison County Pastor’s and Layman’s Fellowship Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration.

“Though the speech was scheduled to be four minutes long, he ended up speaking for 16 minutes,” said Bolden. “What would become known as one of the greatest speeches in history.”

Bolden said that if Jackson “had stayed at home that day, if she had not took the opportunity that was given to her to sing, we would never have heard the speech.”

The pastor also spoke of the march on Washington that was planned years earlier in 1941 by A. Philip Randolph.

“The elder statesman of the Civil Rights Movement had plans for a march on Washington to protest black soldiers’ exclusion from WWI from defense jobs in New Deal programs,” said Bolden.

The preacher said the day before the march, FDR agreed to an executive order to create the Fair Employment Practices Committee to investigate particular charges of discrimination in defense and government jobs.

“In return, Randolph called off the planned march, because his prayers got answered,” said Bolden.

But the pastor noted that in 1946, Congress shut down the committee.

“If we don’t keep marching and keep pressing on, they will forget,” said Bolden. “That’s why we ask brothers and sisters in Christ to keep doing what God has called us and commissioned us to do.”

James B. Singleton the Pastor of the Tabor's Chapel CME Church in Ila pointed out Monday that Dr. King would have turned 94 this year.

“He died at an early age, a young man, but to see his work continue and see his legacy continue and touch the lives of humanity is great,” said Singleton. “But I believe there is still so much work that needs to be done. There are still so many things that have to be accomplished.”

Springfield Baptist Church Pastor Theotis Johnson said he is pleased to see the celebration of King’s legacy, but added that “there are some other people who came way before him. And a lot of them did the same thing he did and died earlier.”

Johnson said he’s distressed by what he sees in the world these days.

“The storm that rages, do you see what I see?” he asked the audience. “…There’s a dangerous world that’s out there. And we as the body of Christ, whether it’s Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutherian, whatever it is, if you serve Christ, then you have a duty to perform, that is to try and make this world a better place.”

The Madison County Pastor’s and Layman’s Fellowship recognized county leaders on hand Monday, including school superintendent Michael Williams, county commission chairman Todd Higdon and commissioners Frank May, Brian Kirk and Derek Doster. The organization thanked Mt. Hermon Presbyterian Church for its contribution of $1,000 to the fellowship’s scholarship fund. Scholarships were presented Monday to Chadayzja Sims, Zahmerius Shiflet and Malachi Kelley. The Community Service Award was presented to Rebecca Scott, while Willie Waller was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.