About 30 people gathered on the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn in negative-degree weather Monday night to celebrate and remember Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of equality.
"Even though it's cold, our hearts are warm," County Commissioner Bill Kennedy said. "Today is a day we remember the dream, but every day we can live the dream."
Monday's events were hosted by the Black Heritage Foundation and Not In Our Town, which formed in response to violence against a Jewish family in Billings 14 years ago. The courthouse ceremony was organized by Mike Yakawich.
In 1993, a piece of cinder block was thrown through a window in Tammy Schnitzer's house because of a paper menorah her son had put up in celebration of Hanukkah. Around the same time, a Jewish cemetery was desecrated and an American Indian woman's house was spray-painted with swastikas. The police chief at the time, Wayne Inman, urged the community to stand together against the violence and racism, and the Not in Our Town movement began.
Since then, there has been nothing close to that level of hate-fueled violence in Billings, but Schnitzer said racism and hatred continue.
"People choose to not see and assume it's not happening, but it is," Schnitzer said before addressing the small crowd. Schnitzer said the last time she was in Billings was five years ago. She now lives in South Carolina and works for social issues.
She began her speech with, "I am a Jew. I have a story. And you have one, too."
Schnitzer spoke of her work as a community activist and how racism has evolved and is still present. She urged people to be brave, move and speak out.
"Fourteen years later, here we are, united together," she said.
Boy Scout Troop 7 participated in the walk, along with a few small children bundled up against the cold weather.
After hearing from Schnitzer, the crowd held candles and walked briskly to the Lincoln Center for hot chocolate, entertainment and speeches.
Boy Scout Robert Martin, 15, said that although he has not witnessed overt racism at his school, Senior High, he said it is important to honor the man who "helped the movement of equality."
Mary Alice Walker, treasurer of the Montana State University Billings Inter-Tribal Indian Club, carried a sign that read, "All people of color shall overcome."
She said the biggest things people can do to stop racism are often the smallest things.
"People need to get out and make contact with other people, get to know them and learn about another culture by learning about that person," Walker said.
Cecelia Lescher, the club's vice president, said she came out to "support Martin Luther King Jr. and his memory and all he did for people of color everywhere."
"Hate comes from the fear of not knowing another culture," Lescher said. "We need to reach out and let go of our fear."
Lescher, Walker and Sandra Coonefare, the club's historian, regularly participate in community outreach and recently began working on a new economic development group aimed at American Indian poverty in Billings.
"If you look around, you'll see all cultures and communities have similar problems, and we need to support each other," Coonefare said.
Ed Gulick said this was his first time participating in the march from the courthouse lawn to the Lincoln Center.
"We all have a role and responsibility in keeping Dr. King's dream alive. I've just never paused and thought about the significance of it before," he said.
Quinn Conners, 13, said he hoped the march would "get people out who don't think about it much."
Patrice O'Neill, one of the producers of the "Not in Our Town," documentary was the keynote speaker at the Lincoln Center.
"Fifteen years ago when you left an event similar to this, you walked out to find KKK flyers on your windshields," she said.
She said that because of Billings' response to that escalation in racism and violence, other towns across the country have found ways to combat intolerance.
At the Lincoln Center, the crowd grew to about 80 people.
The master of ceremonies was Melvin Terry, chairman of the Black Heritage Foundation. The Mighty Men of God and the Senior High Varsity Singers performed before O'Neill gave the keynote speech.
There was also music by Randell on the Native American flute and Steve Zediker on the guitar.
Published on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. Last modified on 1/22/2008 at 12:48 am
Billingsgazette.com provides this community forum for readers to exchange ideas and opinions on the news of the day. Passionate views, pointed criticism and critical thinking are welcome. Name-calling, crude language and personal abuse are not welcome. Moderators will monitor comments with an eye toward maintaining a high level of civility in this forum. Our comment policy explains the rules of the road for registered commenters.
you called someone an idiot, a racist, a dope, a moron, etc. Please, no name-calling or profanity (or veiled profanity -- #$%^&*).
you rambled, failed to stay on topic or exhibited troll-like behavior intended to hijack the discussion at hand.
YOU SHOUTED YOUR COMMENT IN ALL CAPS. This is hard to read and annoys readers.
you have issues with a business. Have a bad meal? Feel you were overcharged at the store? New car is a lemon? Contact the business directly with your customer service concerns.
you believe the newspaper's coverage is unfair. It would be better to write the editor at speakup@billingsgazette.com, or call Editor Steve Prosinski at 657-1289 or Online Editor Kyle Rickhoff at 657-1468. This is a forum for community discussion, not for media criticism. We'd rather address your concerns directly.
you included an e-mail address or phone number, pretended to be someone you aren't or offered a comment that makes no sense.
you accused someone of a crime or assigned guilt or punishment to someone suspected of a crime.
Contact Us | Subscribe
(0) Comments
Leave a comment
Get one here
Forgot your password?
Reset it here