Montclair Celebrates Dr. King With Scholarship Breakfast – Montclair Local

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Social justice was on the menu, along with waffles, bacon, eggs and grits, during the 36th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship breakfast at Montclair High School on Saturday.
The fundraiser for student scholarships at Montclair High School drew nearly 200 people at the event organizers rescheduled from January due to a snowstorm. Delivering the keynote address, Mayor Renee Baskerville referenced King’s belief that what affects one person indirectly impacts all people. Baskerville challenged attendees to look at their own actions.
“Are we truly living as though the struggles of our neighbors are our own?” Baskerville said. “That’s what mutuality means. Are we working to make sure that everyone in Montclair has access to opportunity, to dignity and to justice?”

King’s 1966 Visit

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The first African American woman to serve as the township’s mayor, she discussed King’s visit to Montclair on Sept. 11, 1966.
“The conversations, I would guess, would be pretty similar to what we are talking about today. I don’t envision that they were far off. The nation was then grappling with civil rights,” Baskerville said. “The civil rights movement was at its peak. They were having discussions of racial inequality and inequalities in education, social economic divides and housing affordability and healthcare inequity.”

King’s dream, she said, remains largely unfulfilled.
“Economic inequality widens the gap between communities and too often, we become complacent and forget that what harms one of us harms all of us,” Baskerville said. “Dr. King was not a passive dreamer. He was a fierce advocate for direct action and radical love – love that compels us to stand up for what is right, even when the cost is great.”
She said that while the township has a proud tradition of standing up for justice, tradition is not enough.
“Let us stand together and figure out how we as individuals and as a community can better weave ‘a single garment of destiny’ from this beautiful mosaic that we have in this room – and leave no one behind,” Baskerville said, quoting King.

Rising Bigotry

She said Montclair, in recent years, has witnessed rising bigotry and hatred, including threats of violence “that were totally in opposition to the ideals of Dr. King and what we as Montclarions should know and stand for.”
“I believe he would challenge us to take to the streets, to rise up, to stand up to go to the courts,” Baskerville said. “I believe that he would demand that we make sure that these rights are upheld. Now is not the time for complacency.”

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Her words follow the election of President Donald Trump to his second term of office earlier this year. Among Trump’s actions in his second term have been an increase immigration enforcement. The president has also issued executive orders aimed at cutting government support for diversity equity and inclusion programs, something a federal appeals court on Friday lifted a block on.
“Montclair has long been a symbol of diversity and tolerance,” Baskerville said. “Today, I call on all of us to continue in that spirit and to speak with compassion and to act with justice.”
Students from the high school’s chorus performed songs including “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” The event has long been a local tradition.

Tradition Continues

“We have given scholarships and book awards to about 170 students over the last 36 years,” said Stanley White, president of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship, in an interview with Montclair Local. Scholarships, he said, typically amount to $4,000 over the course of the students’ four years in college.
Addressing attendees, White recalled King’s visit to Montclair in 1966 and presented Baskerville with a photo of the historic event. White, who witnessed King’s speech, was then a sophomore in high school.
“He started by telling us how wonderful the township of Montclair is, but his words, Dr. Baskerville, continued with don’t be complacent with the loveliness of this town and he continued with very similar words to what you gave this morning,” White told the mayor.
Among people in attendance was Frank Barnes Jr. III, who through the years, has attended the annual breakfast. Barnes, a 2014 graduate of Montclair High School, went on to obtain his education at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta.
The scholarship breakfast has given him the opportunity reconnect with neighbors while showcasing the success of scholarship awardees, he told Montclair Local, referencing the program booklet.
“Students who are from Montclair both stay within North Jersey and the educational and social sectors but also are equipped with the tools and resources to go beyond the state and then return to show support to their peers,” Barnes said.
Donations to the scholarship fund may be sent via mail c/o Mr. Stanley White, 439 Orange Road, Montclair, NJ, 07042. For more information, email stanleywh@icloud.com.
Email reporter Matt Kadosh at matt@montclairlocal.news

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