The fountain in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in downtown Rochester is flowing again after 30 years. (June 29, 2017) Jamie Germano
The Rev. Rickey Harvey was just four years-old when his life changed forever. His family lived a mile away from the Lorraine Motel on that fateful day Apr. 4, 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis.
"I remember holding on to my mom's leg," said Harvey, 53. "People were running — they were crying."
As Harvey grew older, he learned more about Dr. King's legacy, traveling with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the late Samuel "Billy" Kyles, who witnessed Dr. King's last moments at the motel. As the generation of civil rights leaders who worked with Dr. King ages and passes on, Harvey feels fortunate to be among the small group of younger black pastors the torchbearers have passed on their stories to.
Harvey is the pastor at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in Corn Hill — with about 250 congregants from around the county — having been recruited a decade ago to lead the church while he was living in Tuscon, Arizona. On this weekend as the community remembers and celebrates the life of Dr. King, Harvey pauses to remember the man who paved the way for black Americans.
"There's no question we've gone from a dream to reality," Harvey said, noting the election of Barack Obama in 2008 as President of the United States.
But it is also important to "keep on pushing," he said. Education is a major issue in black communities. Education, jobs and affordable housing continue to be key in striving for justice and fairness.
Persevering in the face of adversity is a message of Dr. King that continues today.
Cultural exchange
Deacon Robert Mitchell led the Mt. Olivet Bible class Sunday morning with a study from the passage of Daniel 3: 19-23, 26-28, on remaining faithful in the face of challenges.
"Hold on to your faith, live your faith with all of the various obstacles you face," Mitchell said.
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During Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, the church carries on a cultural exchange tradition with Temple B'rith Kodesh with congregants from Mt. Olivet visiting the temple and congregants from B'rith Kodesh attending service at the church. Harvey shares his stories about Dr. King during the weekend.
Harvey says Dr. King did not want to travel to Memphis due to the threats on his life, but felt compelled to do so due to the plight of the sanitation workers.
Harvey's friend Billy Kyles was with Dr. King when he was shot on the balcony of the Memphis hotel 50 years ago. Kyles removed a pack of cigarettes from Dr. King's suit pocket, Harvey said, adding that's a little known fact. Back in those days, leaders are expected to be perfect and smoking would be less than perfect, he said.
"Dr. King had a public life and he had a private life," Harvey said.
Dr. King's best known speech, I Have a Dream, delivered during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Aug. 1963, was a defining moment of the civil rights movement. It was not the original speech that was scripted, Harvey said.
The now-iconic speech was Dr. King speaking off the cuff, Harvey said. Dr. King's associates were surprised as a formal speech had already been written.
"That was God speaking to him," Harvey said.
MCHAO@Gannett.com
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