As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, two pastors will join the mayor of San Francisco to host a virtual teach-in honoring King’s legacy and educating viewers on how they can be involved in carrying that legacy forward.
“I don’t think it’s an accident that what happened January 6, and its aftermath, is leading in to the celebration of such an amazing prophet who called himself a drum major for justice, a drum major for peace,” the Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III told Fox 4 News.
Haynes is an activist and the pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas. He will lead the teach-in along with Mayor London Breed and the Rev. Dr. George Mason, the senior pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas.
4th Annual King Teach-In Focuses on Opportunity Amid Challenges
The 4th Annual King Teach-In will take place Saturday, Jan. 16, at 11 a.m. CT. Viewers can register for the free event here or watch the discussion via their preferred social media platform. The teach-in will be livestreamed on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Friendship-West’s website.
The hosts will not only focus on key events from King’s legacy but will also explore how those events led to the passing of laws that changed people’s lives. Said Haynes, “We often miss the fact that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is celebrated, not because he had a dream, but because his prophetic witness led to change in public policy.” For example, King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the 1963 March on Washington. That protest, said Haynes, led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, similar to how the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March led to the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
A panel of young people will participate in the teach-in, and Haynes said one point he plans to focus on is that activism goes beyond protesting and can include being knowledgeable about current events and serving in our communities.
Despite the polarization we see in our country, Haynes says he sees the opportunity presented by the challenges we face. “Right now,” said the pastor, “we have the opportunity, if we handle this moment right, to produce a third reconstruction as we move toward making America a more perfect union.”
