 We bid you an afternoon and greetings and thank you for joining us for our commemoration of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and our wreath laying ceremony. To all of our distinguished guests, our Honorable Mayor and to our Honorable Councilman, Edward McDowell, Jr., to the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha, to the brothers of the Omicron Iota Lambda chapter, to the President of that chapter, Brother Chris Sanders, we greet you not only in the name of Alpha, but we greet you in the name of the Almighty God. We are thankful that you have come here today to celebrate with us as we commemorate such a great American who had a dream, a dream that we all are the recipients of and we are thankful for that. And so on behalf of the Alpha Phi Lambda chapter, founded in 1935 by men who had a vision to serve our community, by men who thought that it would be necessary to have a chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha here in Columbia that will continue to great tradition that was started back in 1906 in Ithaca, New York, we greet you and we pray that you will enjoy this occasion and in the spirit of Dr. King as we stand here on this corner that we will be unified and solidarity for the greater good of all mankind and for the betterment of our society as a whole, unified together. Again, you are welcome and thank you again for coming. It's cold out here, so I will be brief. Welcome, brothers and guests, Mr. Mayor, Ms. Councilwoman Brussels, and Councilwoman McDowell, and we appreciate everybody for coming out. This is definitely a historic celebration. I do this every year in honor of our great brother, Dr. King. Notice, brothers, that this is just a start. We have plenty of more building blocks to go, so let's continue the legacy and build on that. Thank you. Oh, we will not have any MCs for the event, so follow your program accordingly. Protocol haven't been established, that does great. Father, on this special day that we celebrate the great witness of that child that was born and son that was given back on January the 15th, 1929. As we look to the King who wanted us to the King of Kings, we ask for your presence. We come to commemorate a life that's not just well-lived, but a life that didn't light, that challenged the best ideals of humanity to go forth. We, as the men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, thank you for the witness of our great brother who was, first of all, serving of all, and certainly through his witness transcended all. We pray, oh God, that this day of service and this act of tribute would challenge others throughout this land to do as Dr. King did, give answer to a world that has become a sad question. This is our prayer, oh God, and the name of the Christ that King preached and all the people of God said. Amen. It's never fair to make me follow the bishop, you know, the internationally known bishop. And thank you very much for those kind words, sir. And I'd like to welcome everybody here today on behalf of the city of Columbia, all of the council members who couldn't be here, send their greetings. Obviously, you've heard Reverend McDowell is here. Dr. Rodney Bussells has joined us. It's a great opportunity today to give tribute to Dr. King. And there was a quote that Dr. King said one time in a speech that has stuck with me forever and I think it applies today more than ever is, is that awareness is knowledge and knowledge leads to success. So as we go forward, let's be aware of our surroundings. Let's be aware of our people. Let's be aware of our community. Let's be aware of what we can do to improve it and let's take that knowledge and let's succeed together. I want to thank everybody for being here. This is a great day with the marker and being able to lay the reef. And we look forward to working all together and the remembrance of Dr. King. And Martin said, how long, not long, to our mayor, Mayor Rickerman, to my colleague, Dr. Hardady Brussels, to all of you who have gathered in this place, the President, and of course to all the members of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. We are grateful for your service. We are grateful that even on a cold and chilly day, you decided to come and keep this tradition. Thank you so very, very much. Again, Martin says, how long, not long, we are moving in a way that persons are being unified, not only fraternally, but unified in their faith and their understanding of what the dream really came through. The dream is still a dream, not a nightmare as some would proclaim, but a dream where men and women, boys and girls, are able to sense and feel the true meaning of brotherhood and sisterhood. So to this city, to our mayor, and to all who have gathered here. Thank you very, very much for your insightfulness and for making the dream continue. It is noteworthy that the brothers have selected a licensed field director to dedicate this wreath. They are in five points, and I have been given five minutes to make three points. First point, Luther King Jr. organized conference in 1957 to fight for the equality for people, to register blacks, so they could vote to oppose those who tried to suppress the right to vote, to combat the assault on democracy and to eradicate white supremacy. The organization was structured, it called for two members from each southern state. The board members representing the state of South Carolina were my grandfather, I. S. Levy, and the Reverend Matthew McCollum from Orangeburg, South Carolina. Second point, two years later an invitation from grandfather and the Reverend Matthew McCollum was extended to brother Martin Luther King Jr. to come to Columbia, South Carolina. He was scheduled to speak at the Columbia Township Auditorium on Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. on September 29. The purpose of the meeting was to fight for the equality for all people, to register blacks so they could vote, to oppose those who tried to suppress the right to vote, and to combat the assault on democracy and to eradicate white supremacy. In 1959, I was a student at C. A. Johnson High School in the 11th grade. When I arrived home that afternoon, there was brother Martin Luther King Jr. and my grandfather's funeral home along with his brother Martin Luther King Jr.'s top lieutenant, the Reverend Rabbi Affin-Affin. In those days, fellow homeowners lived in their businesses. We had an apartment on the second floor where I lived with my grandparents. I was in a tent at the Township Auditorium and heard brother Martin Luther King Jr. deliver a powerful speech. Brother Martin Luther King Jr. had lived. He would be 93 years old. He had to make an unwavering commitment to do exactly what brother Martin Luther King Jr. said years ago, and did just years ago. And that is to fight for the equality for all people, to register blacks to vote, to oppose those who are trying to suppress the right to vote, to combat the assault on democracy and to eradicate white supremacy. Just like brother Martin Luther King Jr. did, we must do also. As we are assembled here today on this cold, chilly day, the commitment and the desire to fight those who are determined to redefine democracy based on the big lie is lukewarm. The commitment to keep Pope alive is declining. Misinformation is pervasive. White supremacy is prevalent. And unfortunately, too many people of color are suffering from an illusion of inclusion. In spite of being jailed, being slandered, being stabbed, and being criticized on every side, brother Martin Luther King Jr. did not lose hope. He realized a voteless people is a hopeless people. In spite of the current violent attacks on our democracy, it is imperative that we do not lose hope. If brother Martin Luther King Jr. was here today, he would say to us the same thing he said in Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. The role is not altogether smooth. There are no broad highways that lead us easily and inevitably to quick solutions, but we must keep going. To all of you, in spite of the obstacles in our path, regardless of the darkness of our nights, there is a hope in our future. There is a star in our sky and that hope and that star is for all of us to keep going. God of praise and God of love, on your people pour your power. We thank your Lord for brother Martin Luther King Jr. We thank you for having sent him out of the way. We thank your Lord for how you've used him, how you've used him, O Lord, to bring in the kingdom of God. Now, God, as we continue to commemorate his life, we pray, O God, that you continue to vote for him and share your mercy and your love. And now, with the grace of all the work that saved you, Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the grace ruled and abide with you. Now our hands fold that velvet book and the people of God say it. I'll be ready now in the true spirit of the church. Rule our hearts without our vows and control our lives so that we may become truly the service of all.