Myrtle Beach Presents Third Annual Martin Luther King Day Festivities
By Lauren Poster
The third annual Martin Luther King Day events kicked off Sunday at the old Train Depot in downtown Myrtle Beach, near the former Chapin department store. Area gospel choirs, speakers, and poets gathered to celebrate “King” inside the quaint gathering place, so reminiscent on this evening of a 1930’s chapel that there was an undeniably spiritual glow in the room. This was part of two days’ worth of events, including a parade scheduled to leave from the Chapin Park late Monday morning and end at the site of the old colored school at the corner of Joe White Avenue and Dunbar Street. A Corporate and Community Awards breakfast was also set for Monday morning at the Canal Street Recreational Center.
/media/images/Martin_Luther_King_Day_celebration_in_Myrtle_Beach_-_06.jpgWhen I arrived at the train station I had no idea what to expect from something that was billed as a “gospel choir showdown.” The building has been well preserved in white clapboard and rich wooden flooring, looking every bit the world-weary way station of its pastime. Decorated in photo prints and newspaper snippets from the Civil Rights era, the lobby fed into a stairwell leading to the main gathering area. Having assumed the event would be somewhat casual, I was ashamed to arrive as one of the few people in jeans amidst a sea of immaculately pressed jackets, soft violet silks and crisp white cuffs. Even so, I was welcomed warmly by an effusive man in one of the shame-inducing suits, who extended a hand and introduced himself as Bennie Swans. Mr. Swans is a member of the South Carolina African American Heritage Foundation, and is on the planning committee for activities surrounding the MLK celebration. Ignorantly, I asked Mr. Swans if he would be performing today, complimenting his wonderfully scratchy voice. He laughed, saying “Girl, you sure know how to tell a story.”
In attendance was Harry Coombs, a legendary music promoter famed for his work with Philadelphia International’s Gamble and Huff (who penned at least 170 gold and platinum soul hits including “Me and Mrs. Jones). Coombs co-emceed the performances with Kiss FM’s lovely Monique Williams.
I asked Mary Riley, an organizer for the event, what the day meant for her personally. She answered that she does not want this to be “just another day we get off work ... [it symbolizes] how far we’ve come, and how far we’ve got to go.”
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Her sentiments were echoed by Herbert Riley who, along with his musical partner Tamir Mubarak (of local band Jazz Etc.), came to work sound for the event. Mr. Riley, also chairman of the Horry County Planning Commission, had much to say about what it means to be involved in his community in this capacity, performing jazz all over the nation and helping to promulgate the culture that bore him. “I take the King personally,” he said. He recalled the time after Brown vs. Board of Education in the 1950’s and ‘60’s, stating that after that landmark there was more violence and racial discord than ever before. “I remember being spit on,” he said unflinchingly.
Riley went on to say that Martin Luther King was not about “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme,” and that he believes in “doing it yourself ... You can talk about equality all day long, but when you talk about concrete reality, it’s something very different.” Riley maintained that equality is something you must give yourself, and that we are closer to it than ever before. After great upheaval, there is a “leveling off” period, and he was quick to say that he believes “[our] generation will see something beautiful.” Finally, he related his experience at last year’s inauguration, where a crowd had gathered “so thick that you didn’t feel the cold.”
/media/images/Martin_Luther_King_Day_celebration_in_Myrtle_Beach_-_07.jpgBefore performers were announced, a prayer was offered for the community, for Dr. King, and for the recent earthquake victims in Haiti. The feeling was very much like that inside a congregational church service. Shouts of “Yes, Lord!” were not discouraged, and clapping and stomping were heartily encouraged. The rumbling sounds of traditional gospel music surged throughout the hall as performers entered, singing their way to the front of the room. The music was unabashedly religious, unabashedly raw and honest and far from being plaintive, it reverberated with joy and hope. “Jesus, he’s all right,” “Lord, lift me up,” and ”God is good all the time” were repeated in a rich layering of praise and devotion.
A poet known simply as “Soldier” took the stage after the first three songs, noting that his generation, those in their forties, “are the first to reap the benefits of the Civil Rights Movement.” His poems resonated with the dignity and eloquence of a Harlem Renaissance artist, dealing with topics ranging from his pride at seeing a black first couple parade their way to the White House, to the devastation imposed on those living in the Jim Crow era. To paraphrase a particularly piercing line, the poet noted that he can’t imagine what it must have been like to battle white sheets and bits of rope, “All so that a dude like me could vote.”
This last statement is a beautiful testament to the combination of graceful pride and humility Anita McNellage describes as being a part of the black community. Having mistaken the time for one of today’s events, she arrived far too early and decided she would use the time to go to church instead. “But, girl, I wasn’t dressed for church!” I replied merely by looking at her and looking back at myself, dungarees and all. She said that I looked just fine, “but you know how it is. We dress up for church.” She encapsulated something very admirable about this community. There resides within it a strong sense of appropriateness, respect, reverence.
But there is also a reverence for plain talking and ease of spirit. I hear someone yell, “We aren’t here for a fashion show: we’re here for a celebration for the almighty King!” Truer words were never spoken.
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