Keeping the Message Alive, and Meaningful

Cara DeGette

The 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s visit to Park Hill is being commemorated in several ways. Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church – where the civil rights leader drew a record crowd in 1964 – hosted an appearance by Vincent Harding to mark the event on Jan. 19. Harding, a colleague of King’s, and a theologian, historian and activist, kicked off what church leaders hope will grow into an ongoing dialogue on how the civil rights leader’s messages of 50 years ago can resonate today.

“What could be the influence of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Park Hill in 2014, beyond nice words?” Harding asked a group of about 120 when speaking at the church. “I would like us to think about that.”

Harding recalled King’s famous speech, in which he hopes his children will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

“How do you judge the content of the character of the children of Park Hill?” Harding asked. “How do you get to the content of the character? Just by saying it? I would like to encourage us to push ourselves on this one. How do you develop a character that is worth having?”

Related coverage inside: A preview of Colorado History’s Denver Divinity Tour to coincide with Black History Month; Denver’s proclamation commemorating Martin Luther King’s 1964 visit to Park Hill; and a recap of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Marade. Page 10