Our church held its 27th Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 26 featuring guest speaker Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas. We also honored two middle school students: Vaidehi Patel and Ekam Singh. We are proud to continue our commitment to presenting Southington’s only event remembering King.
We thank Secretary of State Thomas for sharing the closing portion of her remarks:
“Dr. King once said, ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.’ So let’s not be silent. Civic engagement isn’t just about voting, it’s about showing up, speaking up and being a voice for the ones who can’t find their voice.
Let’s remember that being informed and engaged isn’t about taking sides, it isn’t about politics. It’s about taking responsibility to help shape the policies that affect our lives and the lives of those we’re called to serve. Dr. King believed in the power of collective action to create change. I believe it too. Do you believe it?
Our office is here to help. Understanding how government works, how to effectively get your message across takes a bit of knowledge and consistent action. But you don’t have to learn it all at once.
I challenge each of you to tithe a portion of your time each week to learn more about how government works and how you can have a say. You can start on our website at PowerofCivics.CT.gov where we’ve posted some basic things that people of every age should know. Every person here today has the power to make a difference. And in fact, a difference cannot BE made without every person here.
As Dr. King said: “If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
Thank you for listening. Now, let’s get to work.”
—
photo courtesy of the Secretary of State’s office