SAN ANTONIO – The gathering outside San Antonio City Hall on Monday was much smaller than the tens of thousands involved in the March on Washington 60 years ago, but no less spirited.
For the event, Dr. Otis Mitchell, pastor of Mount Zion First Baptist Church, gave a resounding re-enactment of Dr. Martin Luther King’s immortal “I Have a Dream” speech that day.
“I tried to imagine the weight that he must have felt to be the keynote speaker,” Mitchell said. “I believe he was inspired by God to say the right thing at the right time.”
Yet speaking at his office, Dr. Gregory Hudspeth, president of the local NAACP chapter, said, despite the changes since then, “We’re not there yet.”
He referred to landmark legislation like the Voting Rights Act, which the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned, and states across the country have enacted laws that would make it harder to vote, especially in communities of color.
“That is frightening,” Hudspeth said. “It’s frightening.”
Hudspeth said he also worries about “this attitude of hatred in our society.”
The latest example of racial violence occurred at a dollar store in Jacksonville, Florida, where a heavily armed man gunned down three Black customers before taking his own life.
“I preached about that yesterday. And it was racist, it was criminal, it was sinful,” said Mitchell. “Somebody fed him hatred. Somebody fed him that, and he consumed it and made it his nourishment.”
Mitchell said, in a way, the antidote is within each person.
“Don’t look for those people over there, those people of that race. Start with you,” Mitchell said. “That’s where it starts, and that’s where it ends, within us. And hopefully, it spreads to everybody else.”
Hudspeth said his prayer is still that Dr. King’s dream of unity will eventually be realized.
“So that my grandkids will not be sitting here talking about some of these same issues that we’re talking about or that my father spoke about,” Hudspeth said.
Contrary to those he said misuse the word, Hudspeth said the NAACP will continue using “woke.”
“We want people to stay woke. We want them to stay alert. We want you to stay on the issues,” Hudspeth said. “And when individuals are not working on your behalf, then address that on Election Day.”
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