The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. fought more than 50 years ago for equality for all people, regardless of their race or skin color.
Today, the struggle continues, according to several speakers at the 13th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration held Monday at First Presbyterian Church.
Through songs, stories and statistics, youth and adult presenters showed that tolerance of other people has improved since King’s efforts to bring the issue to light, but there are still gaps between people because of their race, social status, sexuality and other factors.
Dan Terrio, who was born and raised on the Stockbridge-Munsee reservation, has experienced discrimination, he said. With a father who was Native American and Italian, as well a mother of German-French descent, Terrio experienced isolation from tribal children who considered him too white to be Stockbridge-Munsee and white children who saw him as Stockbridge-Munsee.
“With that came bullying,” Terrio said. “This went on throughout my elementary school years. I focused on my education, prided myself on getting knowledgeable, because that was the one thing that was instilled in me — the more knowledge I have, the stronger my people are.”
At 17, Terrio was the youngest co-president for United National Indian Tribal Youth Inc. His experiences during his teen and young adult years gave him the opportunity to travel around the country and hear about others’ dreams and struggles.
“Despite the situations they’ve encountered in their young lives, they still continue to dream and never give up on the dream until it becomes reality,” Terrio said.
Young people today still experience hurt as the advent of social media has helped spread bullying and discrimination, he said, urging the adults in the community to help the youth achieve their dreams without barricades.
“I dream of a world where every person is able to pursue their dreams, regardless of the roadblocks that are in front of them,” Terrio said. “I dream of a world where young people can be who they are without persecution or judgment.”
Before she settled down in Wisconsin, Jamie Bodden, the Shawano-Menominee counties health director, helped underprivileged populations in West Africa and Haiti. Bodden met girls who were allowed to go to school until the third grade, then were required to stay home and help there until being married off during their teenage years, some as young as 15.
“Meanwhile, her brothers and cousins got to go to school until young adults,” Bodden said.
Social injustices have been getting media attention here at home, she said, citing the Ferguson, Missouri, unrest and marriage equality as examples. What’s missing from the media is a dialogue and acknowledgement that “isms,” such as racism and sexism, still exist in the United States, she said.
“Racism still exists. There are still prejudices against the LGBT community. There are still prejudices against women and immigrants, people of race, people of different backgrounds,” Bodden said. “Issues don’t get solved; they just get talked about.”
Hannah Williams, one of the youth speakers, used colored threads and a knitted blanket to illustrate how discrimination helps unravel society.
“Maya Angelou said we should all know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry,” Williams said. “We must understand all threads in the tapestry are equal in value, no matter their color, gender, religion, sexuality, economic status or nationality. Our interwoven differences make for a stronger bond between us all.”
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