During a White House Rose Garden ceremony held on this day in 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law a bill creating a national holiday to honor the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader who had been assassinated in 1968, while supporting a strike by black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. The bill had cleared the House by a veto-proof margin, 338 to 90.1
President Ronald Reagan signs a bill in the White House Rose Garden designating a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., to be observed on the third Monday of January.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta in 1929, the son of a Baptist minister. He received a doctorate degree in theology and in 1955 organized the first major protest of the civil rights movement: the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott. Influenced by Mohandas Gandhi, he advocated nonviolent civil disobedience to racial segregation. The peaceful protests he led throughout the American South were often met with violence, but King and his followers persisted, and the movement gained momentum.
The Fight For Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
A powerful orator, he appealed to Christian and American ideals and won growing support from the federal government and Northern whites. In 1963, he led his massive March on Washington, in which he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” address. In 1964, the civil rights movement achieved two of its greatest successes: the ratification of the 24th Amendment, which abolished the poll tax, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited racial discrimination in employment and education and outlawed racial segregation in public facilities. In October of that year, King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He donated the prize money, valued at $54,600, to the civil rights movement.
In the late 1960s, King openly criticized U.S. involvement in Vietnam and turned his efforts to winning economic equality for poorer Americans. By that time, the civil rights movement had begun to fracture, with activists such as Stokely Carmichael rejecting King’s vision of nonviolent integration in favor of African American self-reliance and self-defense. In 1968, King intended to revive his movement through an interracial “Poor People’s March” on Washington, but on April 4 escaped white convict James Earl Ray assassinated him in Memphis, Tennessee.2
The Beginning
The Beginning of Organized Meetings & Leadership – with Focused Planning
Afterwards, meetings were held at Horne’s Motor Lodge, Eastern Boulevard, Fayetteville, NC, usually, Saturday mornings during breakfast. It was here that the Committee agreed to hold annual parades, prayer breakfasts, and Monday night services. The first annual prayer breakfasts were held at Horne’s Motor Lodge and, later, at the Cumberland County Expo Building. During this time Reverend Lawrence Johnson, John Wesley United Methodist Church, Cumberland Street, Fayetteville, NC was member and facilitated the initiation of the Prayer Breakfast activities.
As a member of the ministerial council, he performed the ‘leg work’ getting ministers to participate and support this event. As a result of Reverend Lawrence Johnson’s involvement with the Committee, meeting shifted to John Wesley United Methodist Church. 616 Cumberland Street, Fayetteville, NC. The Committee began planning the Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade; the parade was to be held on the Saturday prior the national holiday. The Committee planned the Monday Night Service. Initially, three events were planned for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday – the Parade (Saturday), the Prayer Breakfast (Sunday Morning), and the Monday Night Service (Monday Night).
The parade would always begin at 12:00 noon; the Prayer Breakfast would be held Sundays at 8:00 a.m.; the Monday Night Service would be on the night of the holiday at various churches in the county, rotating by race, denomination, and location in the county (Fayetteville/Spring Lake/Hope Mills/Wade/Vander/Falcon/Eastover/Linden) – the intent was to accommodate and create a sense of unity using the religious arena,. The first Monday Night Service was held at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church, 701 Westmont Drive. Fayetteville, NC. The first parade followed the parade route of the Annual Fayetteville Christmas Parade – from Haymount Hill to the parking lot of the Cumberland County Courthouse.
After Reverend Lawrence was reassigned by the United Methodist Church Conference, Reverend Sheridan Knight of St. Luke AME Church, 522 Hillsboro Street, Fayetteville, NC assumed the position as ministerial liaison and chairperson for the Prayer Breakfast event and meetings were, then, held at St. Luke AME Church.
This appointment was a win-win for the FCCMLK Committee because Reverend Sheridan Knight was Chairman of the Ministerial Council. During this time, Dr. Vic Hackley, President of Fayetteville State University was a member of the FCCMLK Committee; he offered the services of FSU to the Committee. After Reverend Sheridan Knight was reassigned by the AME Church Conference, meetings of the Committee shifted the Senior Citizen’s Building, 739 Blue Street, Fayetteville, NC.
Beginning Declarations: Awarding of Lane/Site (City of Fayetteville) and Distinguished Supportive Services
(Ronnie Mitchell – Legal, Alfred Jones – Accounting, Walter Vicks – Architectural, Dr Aaron Johnson – Spiritual)
Sometime during meetings of the Committee, the idea of a memorial park was discussed strategies to address this idea with the City of Fayetteville. Over time, the city agreed to donate space for a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park and designated the area behind Hubbard Plumbing Company and the local barbershop as property to develop the park. This space was rejected due to its proximity to the railroad tracks and the flooding the often occurred in the area during extreme rainy weather.
After lengthy negotiations, the city agreed to property in/near the African American community; it was located behind the Blue Street Apartments on Murchison Road, Fayetteville, NC. The property was a 13-acre site with Little Cross Creek meandering from Washington Drive to Rowan Street. The City agreed to donate the property to be a city park; the community was given the opportunity to develop the space into the theme desired – the Committee agreed to develop the property as a memorial to Dr. King. After the city donated the property, the Committee contacted county officials to support the park effort and donate the adjacent property, containing the Washington Drive School, to the project. After meetings, discussion, and negotiations the 5-acre Washington Drive property was donated to become the park and bring the designated park size to eighteen acres. As the Committee took possession of the Washington Drive property, Committee became responsible for protecting the property and protecting the public from trespassing to the property by maintaining the fencing around the property. The fencing was damaged, often, by persons getting into the school building. The damages were immediately repaired upon notification.
After the property was dubbed the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, the fifth-grade class at Mary McArthur Elementary School, 3809 Village Drive, Fayetteville, NC planted the first tree in the park.
After securing the two parcels of property, developing the park became paramount. Having lost funding from the Prayer Breakfast and the Monday Night Service, the Committee began the Annual MLK Banquet. Attorney Ronnie Mitchell donated legal services to support and promote the efforts of the Committee. Ms. Crenshaw secured a $10,000.00 congressional grant, through the office of Congressman Mike McIntyre. Ms. Crenshaw joined and attended meeting with the NC Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission. The commission was under the direction of Bruce Lightner, S. Smithfield Street, Raleigh, NC (now Martin Luther King, Jr., Blvd.). Reverend Aaron Johnson, Pastor Emeritus of Lewis Chapel Church and former Secretary of the NC Department of Corrections, Raleigh, NC. With the grant money from Congress, Committee contacted architect Walter Vick and company for plans to develop the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park. Mr. Vick’s drawing depicted an outdoor arena with a stature in the background, pavers, panels with quotes from Dr. King’s speeches, a spiral enclosed in a dome-shaped enclosure; the spiral was to be 250 high and located between the statue of Dr. King and the Senior Citizens’ Building. The city agreed that the Senior Citizens’ Building would become office and meeting space for the Committee, as well as a shop for paraphernalia sales after the new Senior Citizens’ Building was completed. A small office was assigned to the Committee in the Senior Citizens’ building to have a presence in the building when the new Senior Citizen’s Building was completed. The office space was accepted, and a telephone and fax machine were installed. Committee meetings began at the Senior Citizens’ Building.
Later, discussions were held to change the planned location of the Spiral. It was decided to change the location of the spiral from the space between the MLK statue and the Senior Citizens’ Building to the space located between the parking lot and Little Cross Creek. It was noted that the creek flooded but Committee members hoped the space could be raised with fill-in soil. The City of Fayetteville cleaned the creek to minimize flooding. The idea of moving the location of the spiral was to influence visitors to patronize the gift shop as they move from the statue to the spiral that would be across the road next to the gift shop. Additionally, the spiral would be visible from the MLK Freeway.
The Beginning: Inauguration of FCCMLK Annual Services & Venues
April 4th Memorial Service
On April 4th, a Memorial Service was held to commemorate the death of Dr. King. Various speakers of note were, usually, invited to address the community. The most notable guest speaker was General Lloyd Austin, Commander of the 18th Airborne Corps, and Commander of Fort Bragg, Fort Bragg, Cumberland County, North Carolina.
Friday Night Candlelight Service
The Friday Night Candlelight Service was held on the Friday prior to ‘kick off’ holiday activities. The initial candlelight services were from the sidewalk opposite Fayetteville State University to the lawn of the Senior Citizens’ Building, with police escort. Ministers from various churches were invited to give the message for the evening. The services, usually, began at 5:30 p.m. as this allowed the service to be aired on the evening news channels at 6:00 p.m. The services were held on the lawn of the Senior Citizens’ Building until the MLK Statue was erected. After the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. statue was in place, the services were in the amphitheater on Washington Drive.
Prayer Breakfast
The Prayer Breakfast began at Horne’s Motor Lodge; it, later, moved to the Cumberland County Expo Building. The Prayer Breakfast was to be a fundraiser for the committee and its activities as well as an event to honor Dr. King and continue to promote his teachings. After Reverend Sheridan Knight was reassigned, from St. Luke AME Church, Reverend John Johnson became chairperson of the Ministerial Council.
During the years that Reverend Johnson served as chairperson, he donated $200.00 of the proceeds from the Prayer Breakfast to the FCCMLK Committee; Reverend Johnson was a supporter of the FCCMLK Committee. After Reverend Johnson’s term expired, no additional funds were contributed to the FCCMLK Committee from the Prayer Breakfast event buy subsequent Chairs of the Ministerial Council.
Monday Night Service
The Monday night service began at Snyder Memorial Baptist Church. This event was also a fund-raising event to support the activities and programs of the FCCMLK Committee; this first event collected $800.00 in donations. The second Monday Night Service was held at Lewis Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, 5422 Raeford Road, Fayetteville, NC. Third night service was held at John Wesley United Methodist Church, 616 Cumberland Street, Fayetteville, NC. After the third night service, attendance began to wane because various churches began to hold their own Monday Night Services.
Parade
The parade was the original intent of the MLK Committee, because it was a trend across the country. The original parade was from Haymount and the CBD Loop (at that time) to the parking lot of the Cumberland County Courthouse. The parade route has changed several times due to attitudes in the area about the existence of a MLK holiday. The route was, again, changed to go from the courthouse parking lot to Langdon Street at Fayetteville State University. Later, it was changed from the parking lot of the Social Services Building (Old Sears Building) to Langdon Street. Then, it was changed to go from Winslow Street to Langdon Street.
Another changed was to go from Hillsboro Street to Langdon Street; with this change the community complained that the white community was being denied an opportunity to be involved in the parade; as a result, the route was changed to go from the parking lot of Social Services to Washington Drive and Blue Street. Later, the route was changed back to the courthouse parking lot and end at Washington Drive and Blue Street. Lula G. Crenshaw, chairperson of the committee was organizer for the parade, from it beginning until her retirement from the committee. Each parade had a Grand Marshall as the parade celebrity. Great support was given to the parade by Fayetteville Technical Community College per President Larry Norris in the form of staff and equipment (carts and walkie-talkies).
Preparations for General Austin’s visit was comparable to that of a US President. The MLK Committee had to let Fort Bragg officials know when the exact time that the event would begin, where the general would sit, who, would be to the left, right and behind of the general, and who would introduce the general.
Preparation was completed weeks in advance by Ft. Bragg for surveillance of the area of such building as the Blue Street Apartments, the Senior Citizens’ Building, the homes on Washington Drive, the businesses on Bragg Blvd, and, more importantly, the Washington Drive School Building. Bomb-sniffing dogs scoured the school building and snipers were stationed in the school building during the presence of the general.
Like the US President, General Austin arrived and left in a three-vehicle motorcade. Security was provided by the Ft. Bragg Military Police, Fayetteville City Police Department, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department, Hope Mills Police Department, Harnett County Sheriff’s Department, Robeson County Sheriff’s Department, Hoke County Sheriff’s Department, and Sampson County Sheriff’s Department, and background checks were completed on all committee members.
Chronological Phases of Development
Phase 1: In 1996, a thirteen (13) acre tract of land was allocated to develop a park that would commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. philosophical ideologies that all men are created equal and nonviolence actions are essential when encountering the atrocities of social injustice and racial discrimination. The site for the park was gifted by the City of Fayetteville with the approval of city and county government officials. The public/human relations acumen of Mrs. Lula Crenshaw, founder and advocate for the FCCMLK Memorial Park, public support, the support and consensus of citizens and appeals from organizations and churches were catalysts to promote the land donation.
Phase 2: In 2007, a statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was erected as the centerfold on the 13 acres. The statue stands on a two feet high platform made of brick and black granite with quotations from King’s speeches incised into the granite. This platform rests on a large oval patio of brick and concrete. His arm reaching over and beyond the barrier symbolizes that equality can be possible. The balustrade’s simple design represents the times he was jailed for his beliefs and the sacrifices he made for the freedom of others. That sacrifice is exemplified in the baluster’s main support having broken the shackles of oppression. An area near the sidewalk is covered with memorial brick pavers.
The cost of excavation, land improvement, platforms and to sculpture the eight and one-half feet tall statue of Dr. King with his right hand raised as if giving a speech was possible with a $150,000.00 grant from the State of North Carolina.
Phase 3: In 2019, a digital video was produced by a local business, Moonlight Communications, to raise awareness and funds for the FCCMLK Memorial Park. This video was shown as a feature program item during the 2019 FCCMLK fund raising banquet. Per the contractual agreement, when the services were completed and approved, the business submitted an invoice and was remunerated in the amount of $6,850.00.
Phase 4: In 2020, ARUP Architectural Design completed the structural concept and schematic design for professional engineering services to erect a spire more than 120 feet tall at the FCCMLK Memorial Park site. A light or flame at the top of the spire would be visible from downtown and areas surrounding the park. The schematic designs were completed and a pictorial presentation of the completed park was submitted to the FCCMLK Committee for approval and dissemination.
Phase 5: This construction phase scheduled to commence fiscal year 2022 has a budget range (noting surging construction cost in 2021) between 7 million to 8.5 million dollars. A 2021 bill in The General Assembly of North Carolina approved $2,500,000.00 to be allocated in the NC State budget for the further development of the FCCMLK Memorial Park. In addition, the City of Fayetteville City allocated $2,000,000.00 in the City budget and the Cumberland County governing board allocated $2,500,000.00.