Vienna's First Baptist Church Keeps King's Spirit Alive

People from across Fairfax County gathered at the First Baptist Church of Vienna yesterday for the 26th annual Fairfax County NAACP celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

It was a spiritual celebration that included gospels sung by the Suitland High School Chamber Choir and speeches by the special guests commemorating the life and legacy of King, who would have been 82 this Jan. 15.

Rep. Gerry Connolly was among several special guests at the ceremony, including Town of Vienna Mayor Jane Seeman, Penelope Gross of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and members of the Vienna Town Council.

Andrew Romero Shortt, the son of the NAACP’s president, started the event by reading an inspirational litany from the African American hymnal No. 54, as some members of the congregation chanted along.

“May we have the courage of Dr. King,” Shortt read.  “As we continue to stand up for justice, reconciliation and truth, despite challenge and controversy.”

Connolly was the first of the special guest speakers to talk to the crowd about what King’s legacy meant to him.

“He said ‘How long do we have to wait,’” said Connolly, referring to King’s desire for equality in America.  “He had the courage to ask an uncomfortable question and to make people uncomfortable.  That’s who Martin Luther King was, and that’s how we met change in America.”

Mason District Supervisor Penelope Gross remembered a trip she had taken to China in 2009, where she met one of the sculptors of the Martin Luther King Memorial, which is scheduled to be completed along the Tidal Basin by August. She reflected on how refreshing it was to see three gigantic heads of Martin Luther King in a small sculptor’s studio in China, which felt to be worlds away from home.

  “In his studio he was surrounded by posters of Martin Luther King Jr., by speeches of him,” Gross said.  “The entire room of his personal area was covered with what he called inspirational comments and the things that got him through the long nights of working on the sculpture.”

Members of the NAACP also gave speeches commemorating King’s legacy, several of them mentioning that King's death prevented him from witnessing  Barack Obama becoming the first African American President of the United States , something they called a vindication of his hard work during the 1950s and 60s.

Toward the end of the event, Owen Shortt, the newly appointed president of the Fairfax County chapter of the NAACP, gave a powerful speech about both King and the impact he himself plans on having through the NAACP in the community going forward.

 “Today we pay tribute to Martin Luther King,” Shortt said.  “The man who has never abandonded his faith.  Every year, we make promises to ourselves of what we will stop doing and things that we need to start doing.  Ladies and gentleman its time for us to stop talking about having big dreams and visions and start putting our hands to work in our community, why sit here and die in our dreams when god has given us the ability to work.”        

Mayor Seeman ended the celebration with an award to former Fairfax County NAACP President Olivia Jones Smith,which recognized her outstanding leadership.