Celebrating the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: Excellence in Action
The Phoenix VA Health Care System hosted a celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Phoenix 32nd Street VA Clinic, Jan. 17.
“This year's theme is excellence in action,” said Phoenix VA Medical Center Director Bryan Matthews. “[The theme] commemorates the actions of non-violent demonstrators who fought to correct injustices.”
Matthews continued, The Civil Rights Act of 1964, was a significant step towards responding to racial discrimination and segregation. On the 7th of March in 1965, 600 civil rights activists were attacked while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, AL, on their way to the capital in Montgomery. Footage of the attack swept the country and became known as ‘Bloody Sunday.’ And through this tragedy, the footage united the nation in the fight against racial injustice.
“Excellent in action is not always easy. I want to be part of an organization where everyone feels equal. Together we have the power to make a difference within our healthcare system,” concluded Matthews.
The celebration also included remarks from Pastor Wilbert De Wayne White who spoke from an African American Veteran perspective. “When we look at sixty-one years after [Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s] I have a dream speech. We still are not free from the forms of segregation. We’re still not free from forms of housing discrimination, and no, we’re not free from forms of employment discrimination.”
Fran Butcher also sung, “We Shall Overcome,” a gospel song that is associated heavily with the U.S. civil rights movement.