Dorothy Cotton speaks for peace
Judson Berger
Issue date: 1/31/03 Section: News
"I want you to know that the Civil Rights Movement was a singing movement. Did you know that?" asked activist Dr. Dorothy Cotton. And she began singing, singing a song of sorrow.
"I've been in the storm so long," she emoted slowly and soulfully, repeating the phrase, singing softy and deeply in such a way that required absolute silence and attention. She petered to a whisper, asked for the audience's help and nearly all 390 attendees of the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, held in the Eynon Ballroom last Monday, chimed in - as if they were simply waiting for her invitation.
"I've been in the storm so long ..." they sang, "... give me a little time to pray."
The song soon changed to a song of hope, as the audience clapped and swayed, and Dr. Cotton continued to lead the crowd through music and laughter and prayer and poetry and desire, and words from the Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., on the anniversary of his accomplishments.
"[King] would remind us that we are moving toward living in a global community," she said. Dr. Cotton repeatedly mentioned that she was trying to answer the question, "What would Dr. King say?" Dr. Cotton worked closely with Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement, and is the highest ranking female in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by Dr. King.
But, Dr. Cotton emphasized, people choose their own path. Quoting Dr. King, she said, "We know that violence begets violence ... where do we go from here - chaos or community?"
"Are we living in a secure world if we bomb innocent people to dethrone Saddam Hussein?" she asked. Her talk reeled through quotations of peace and understanding from a plethora of poets, activists and other figures of note. She culminated them in an attempt to find the essence of last Monday's day of remembrance, challenging the people to adhere to Dr. King's principles that many celebrate, but oftentimes never truly understand.
"We have to stop killing ourselves to solve our problems. The essence of nonviolence is love," she said. Dr. Cotton recalled seeing a family of Afghanis on CNN, and told how she felt for them, as they climbed over the rocks with bare feet, with nothing in their hands.
"I've been in the storm so long," she emoted slowly and soulfully, repeating the phrase, singing softy and deeply in such a way that required absolute silence and attention. She petered to a whisper, asked for the audience's help and nearly all 390 attendees of the Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, held in the Eynon Ballroom last Monday, chimed in - as if they were simply waiting for her invitation.
"I've been in the storm so long ..." they sang, "... give me a little time to pray."
The song soon changed to a song of hope, as the audience clapped and swayed, and Dr. Cotton continued to lead the crowd through music and laughter and prayer and poetry and desire, and words from the Civil Rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., on the anniversary of his accomplishments.
"[King] would remind us that we are moving toward living in a global community," she said. Dr. Cotton repeatedly mentioned that she was trying to answer the question, "What would Dr. King say?" Dr. Cotton worked closely with Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement, and is the highest ranking female in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by Dr. King.
But, Dr. Cotton emphasized, people choose their own path. Quoting Dr. King, she said, "We know that violence begets violence ... where do we go from here - chaos or community?"
"Are we living in a secure world if we bomb innocent people to dethrone Saddam Hussein?" she asked. Her talk reeled through quotations of peace and understanding from a plethora of poets, activists and other figures of note. She culminated them in an attempt to find the essence of last Monday's day of remembrance, challenging the people to adhere to Dr. King's principles that many celebrate, but oftentimes never truly understand.
"We have to stop killing ourselves to solve our problems. The essence of nonviolence is love," she said. Dr. Cotton recalled seeing a family of Afghanis on CNN, and told how she felt for them, as they climbed over the rocks with bare feet, with nothing in their hands.