Gathering to honor Martin Luther King

Speaker and author Gloria Burgess is a self-proclaimed story collector.

During an annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 21, she shared some of her collection of stories, speeches and songs with residents at Third Place Commons in Lake Forest Park.

“Dr. King was successful for at least 1,001 reasons,” Burgess said. “Dr. King continues to be successful because of people like you and me who know that this is a day on, not a day off.”

Clutching the microphone with both hands, Burgess recited a portion of King’s Nobel Peace Prize speech, delivered in 1964 in Oslo, Norway, from memory. She followed the reading with a moment of reflection and silence to honor 22 million black people who were alive when King was alive, as well as individuals Coretta Scott King, Rosa Parks and Benazir Bhutto.

She closed her eyes and recited “Sanctuary,” a poem she wrote in honor of her father, Earnest McEwen, and William Faulkner, who she called her literary father.

The two men met when McEwen was telling anyone who would listen about his dream to attend college, Burgess said.

When Faulkner offered to pay McEwen’s way through college, he began attending Alcorn A&M College in Mississippi. Although Burgess knew her father was ousted from the college in 1957 for standing up for his beliefs, she recently learned it occurred during what was the first successful black Negro protest at an educational institution in the country.

“One chinch was taken out of the wall of white supremacy and my dad chose to be ousted,” she said. “Sometimes in order to get a little you have to give up a lot for the beloved community.”

Sharing the stage with Burgess was the Sounds of the Northwest Choir and their performance which included a suite of songs, “Truth Pressed to Earth,” composed by Dr. Ysaye Barnwell of the female a capella ensemble known as Sweet Honey in the Rock.

Throughout the tribute, choir director Juan Huey-Ray led the Commons audience in several Negro spirituals.

Kenmore resident Ann Robertson attended the tribute.

“It was moving,” she said. “When Gloria is presenting something, she gives you enough time to move into the environment she creates — to think and to feel.”

Burgess said sometimes people ask her why she works so hard.

“I don’t think that’s the right question,” she said. “I think the right question is why not do this joy and it is the only joy. I do this work because someone did this for me.”