Back in 1966, Joe Bruchac joked around with Martin Luther King Jr. as they marched in the Meredith March in Mississippi.
We were watching state troopers point their guns at us on the side of the road and he said, ‘we’ll be visited later tonight by some of their friends in white,’ said Bruchac, who lives in Greenfield Center. `It’s the kind of thing you hardly remember later on because it wasn’t the substance of the conversation really.`
Bruchac, a storyteller and songwriter who focuses largely on his Native American culture, will recount his memorable march with the famous civil rights activist on Martin Luther King Day, Monday, Jan. 17, as part of the very first celebration targeting the entire Saratoga Community.
A National Day of Community Service already existed, but this year, a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Committee was formed by community leaders to develop a Saratoga event to coincide with the rest of the nation. The celebration that emerged will be a morning of volunteering followed by an afternoon of presentations, discussion and refreshments at the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
`It’s something we’ve been talking about for a long time. We’re putting some of his vision into action. In years passed, we’ve really wanted to focus on his vision but it’s our tendency to sort of celebrate him but maybe not understand him,` said Jim Fulmer, chair of the planning committee.
In creating the day of honor, celebration, awareness and remembrance, Fulmer said the committee concentrated on some of King’s ideologies not widely acknowledged`the `giant triplets of racism, militarism and materialism` and the `beloved community.`
`We don’t hear much about them these days, but racism, militarism and materialism are all interrelated and what ends up being a very unjust system. So for example, we’re fighting wars and spending inordinate amounts of money on defense but people are going hungry and don’t have proper health care,` said Filmer. `Another term that he spoke of was the ‘beloved community’ and working with others and sharing some of our own gifts. I think this really helps us experience that sense of community.`
When Bruchac was busy doing his part in the civil rights movement`like taking part in sit ins and marching in Washington`he was also writing poems about the issues of the time.
`I was very much into the anti-war movement, Native American rights, civil rights, prisoner rights; I’ve been involved with those issues most of my adult life,` said Bruchac.
More recently, Bruchac wrote a song about his experience marching alongside not only King, but Jesse Jackson, Marlon Brando and other key civil rights players.
`The march started when James Meredith was ambushed and shot on his way walking across Mississippi. I went down on a charter bus from Cornell University for three days we marched across Mississippi ending up in Jackson,` said Bruchac. `I marched next to Marlon Brando for six hours one day, which was fascinating.`
Bruchac said although he didn’t get to talk to King for as long as he may have liked, it was still a once in a lifetime experience that he’s happy to share.
`He was being interviewed by a dozen people at the same time. I’m just one voice and am happy I got to spend a little time with Martin Luther King and see him at his informal best,` said Bruchac. `Just walking with the people and being another person.`
His time was cut short because Bruchac was a water carrier, running up and down the line of marchers making sure people didn’t die of dehydration. That’s just another way he was proud to help as they demonstrated under that `boiling hot Mississippi sun.`
Bruchac will present as part of a program in the Community Room of the library from 3 to 4:30 p.m. which will also include words and presentations by Mayor Scott Johnson, Saratoga Springs Supervisor Joanne Yepsen, Kendall Jeter and Bishop Arnold Byrd. From 2 to 2:45 p.m. in the Children’s Room, there will be stories and crafts in the spirit of the day and from 3 to 4 p.m. in the Susman Room, teenagers will can participate in a moderated discussion on how to deal with bullying based on the philosophy and principles of King.
`It is a day when we can go a little bit deeper into the vision that Dr. King had and realize that he stood for more than the ‘I have a dream’ speech. He really had a vision for America that involved non-violence and we’ve got some work to do,` said Filmer.
Bruchac said he frequently sees ways, often obscure ones, of how the country still has a ways to go in the fight for equality that King pioneered.
`There are things that have come out since Barack Obama was elected president that show just how deep and subtle racism remains as part of the fabrics of this country,` said Bruchac. `Although not framing it precisely in racist discourse, that is the underlying message when people say ‘I want my country back.’ The country they want back is a country when African Americans didn’t have the right to vote and women were meant to be seen and not heard.`
Bruchac’s sentiments are why Filmer said the community service day and celebration was created.
`This ought to be an example of what we’re capable of everyday. Especially now with the events that just happened in Arizona where Congresswoman Giffords was shot, one of things Dr. King talked about was hate can’t drive out hate,` said Filmer. `I think that there is a pretty pervasive sense of hate and fear in America these days that distracts us from our potential for being there for each other and caring for each other.`
Anyone interested in participating on Jan. 17 can sign up to volunteer at various local agencies in the Community Room of the library from 9 to 10 a.m. After several hours of painting, repairing, transporting and other service tasks, the public is invited to head to the library for an afternoon of scheduled programs. Beverages and light snacks will be offered at the library in the morning and afternoon and the sessions are hosted by the League of Women Voters and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Committee, comprised of memebrs of the NAACP, the Saratoga Peace Alliance, the Saratoga Religious Society of Friends and Temple Sinai.
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