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Kosciusko County has come a long way in creating unity in a diverse community, but there is still a long way to go, said speakers at Monday's 10th annual program to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Local society is building bridges between diverse cultures and attitudes, said Jennifer Brumfield, assistant principal at Warsaw Community High School. "But more bridges are needed. We must plan, build and cross those bridges together, heading toward one destination - a united community," she said.
Close to 200 people from all walks of life attended Monday's lunch at Center Lake Pavilion. "Each of you are here because you represent a concern to do something different from the norm," said committee board chairman Joe Banks.
And the Rev. Frank Beard, pastor of Walnut Creek United Methodist Church, said, "We must learn to live together or perish together as fools."
The speakers for the program were leaders in the areas of education, religion, business and law enforcement. Brumfield, who represented education, described efforts by Warsaw Community Schools and by WCHS to encourage diversity and change in school curriculum.
"We have a goal to ensure that diversity issues of gender, race and ethnicity are appropriately included," she said. "We have to educate teachers and administrators before we can educate students."
Grace College president Dr. Ronald Manahan outlined similarities between King and Gandhi, and described King's Christian commitments, including his "thirst and drive and desire" to help the disadvantaged.
"Dr. King understood that we are all in this together, and if we cannot value one another, we not only have failed one another, we have failed God," he said.
Representing the world of business was Sandy Rader, team leader of inpatient services at Kosciusko Community Hospital. Rader discussed the cultural diversity in Kosciusko County, including a large segment of population that does not speak English.
"We as a community recognize that the landscape is changing," she said.
Rader reminded those present of King's "message of peace, brotherhood and freedom," and issued a challenge to the area's business community to promote cultural diversity.
David Kolbe, Kosciusko County prosecuting attorney, was the final speaker, and called King his "role model for attempting to overcome evil with goodness."
He said the prosecutor's office applies the criminal law to individuals, not based on color of skin or family background, but on character and conduct.
"There is no room in the criminal justice system for partiality or favoritism," he said.
The program also featured music, from "Lift Every Voice and Sing," the Negro National Anthem, to the solo presentations by Celia Danbury, to the final sing-along, which included the attendees joining hands and singing "We Shall Overcome."
"Think about what you're doing to promote diversity in our community," said committee board president Lynn Pulliam. "We do have a diversified, unified community. We have a proactive community - we don't wait for problems to smack us in the face."
