Toccoa Remembers Dr. King

Toccoa and Stephens County mark the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Monday, the annual Interfaith Service took place at Trinity C.M.E. Church in Toccoa.

That was followed by the March for Peace, which went from the church to the steps of Toccoa City Hall.

At the City Hall steps, this year’s winner of the MLK Essay Contest in Toccoa, Micheal Earle-Lyles, read his essay.

Earle-Lyles is a member at Trinity C.M.E. Church and a 9th grader at a high school in Greenville, South Carolina.

He asked what Dr. King would say about today’s Millenial generation.

“Would he even want to lead us to the mountaintop?” asked Earle-Lyles. “Would he even to take the beating, harassment, public ridicule for people that show no remorse for one another? What happened to ‘Lift every voice and sing, till earth and heaven ring’? No, we cannot continue to be led by entertainment and the things that TV present us. We cannot focus our lives like those on reality TV. Facebook, Snapchat, and all the other social media outlets cannot be our only means of gaining information.”

Earle-Lyles talked about young people needing to strive to become leaders by fulfilling Dr. King’s legacy.

He said youth need to stop trying to be something they are not and ask God what their mission is.

“We have to decide that since God made us different that we will be different and not be a part of the world but step up and be the person that God made us to be,” said Earle-Lyles.

Earle-Lyles said that requires a willingness to go new places and try new things.

He said that also means being willing to go first like Dr. King.

“We should walk in the Word and live the Dream,” said Earle-Lyles.

According to Earle-Lyles, Dr. King’s example was to be the one that went first.

He said youth need to strive for what they want and aim to achieve more.

Earle-Lyles said that happens by remembering Dr. King’s legacy.

“The way you strive to become a successful leader is to wake up daily with the King mindset that I am going to make a change,” said Earle-Lyles. “This is a mindset that never gives up on the goal or vision. A King mindset stands in integrity and justice.”

Monday’s event was organized by the Black Christian Men Association in Stephens County.