Rosa Key receives the Second Annual John Sparks Memorial Award
SALT LAKE CITY — "The dream is before us, let’s get up and live it," said Rev. France Davis, pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, Salt Lake City. Davis addressed the students and faculty at a Martin Luther King Jr. assembly at Judge Memorial Catholic High School Jan. 12. Davis challenged the students to prepare themselves, wait for the ground to swell, and step up and take the lead on issues such as homelessness, medical insurance, and the war in Iraq. "I appreciate the opportunity to celebrate with you the birth of a man who made a significant difference in terms of our society," said Davis. "The unfortunate thing is that many of you were not born or alive prior to 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated." Davis told the students at Judge Memorial, we are looking to them for leadership in this community, leadership as they go on to college, and leadership in our world in the years to come. He reminded them of lessons they could learn from Martin Luther King Jr., and what King did that would help them be the leaders God would have them to be in their own life experiences. Davis said the first thing they need to do is to prepare themselves as if everything they are going to do depends upon them. Do everything they can to ensure they are thoroughly prepared, and then they will be ready to go when the task comes forth. Davis said King read every book on which he could get his hands. "I would like to challenge you to read all of the books in Judge Memorial’s library," said Davis as he told them King read every book in his school’s library. "You can go places by reading books that you will never go in terms of your physical life. Books are one way to prepare yourself to be the best you can be." Davis said the second lesson is that King waited until the ground swelled. He did not volunteer to lead the Civil Rights Movement, or go to Montgomery, Ala., after college in order to lead some non-violent civil disobedience movement. He went to pastor a church. But shortly after he got there, the ground swelled, and Rosa Parks got on that bus and refused to give up her seat. King attended a mass meeting that night, and there he was drafted to become the leader of the modern Civil Rights Movement. "I suggest to you, that it happened because Rosa Parks and others had grown tired of things as they were, and the ground began to swell," said Davis. "The people began to say, ‘No longer will we put up with things as they have always been. No longer will we be treated the way we have been treated. No longer will we sit in the back of the bus, or give up our seats to someone simply because they are of a different color. As the ground swelled, King was available, prepared, and ready to take the leadership. "Martin Luther King Jr. was casting a vision when he said, ‘I have a dream that my four little children will be judged one day not by the color of their skin, but by the constant content of their character. I have a dream, it is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.’ King was suggesting that what is not yet reality is possible, but somebody would have to step up and do something about it. Somebody would have to decide there is something that needs to be done, and I am the person who is willing to take the leadership reins and help get the job done. "Martin Luther King’s movement was about the most pressing problem that existed during his time," said Davis. "I suggest if he were alive today, he would say there is absolutely no excuse for the most prosperous nation in the world to have 40 million people who do not have medical insurance and adequate coverage in terms of their medical needs. We have to do something about that." Davis said he would say there is no excuse for 744,000 people, 3,100 of them right here in Utah, who are homeless and without their basic daily needs being met. "I think he would also say there is no excuse for people working a full time job, 40 hours a week, and not making enough money in order to provide food, shelter, and clothing for their families while earning minimum wage. "I think Martin Luther King would be taken aback by the growing and festering prison population, by the number of people who are caught up in corruption and indulging in pornography," said Davis. "And then, of course, one of Martin Luther King’s last speeches was about the war in Vietnam. If he were alive today, I believe he would raise the issue and say that nobody seems to know exactly why and what it is that needs to be done in terms of the current war we are involved in. Davis told the students to write letters to government officials, including the president of the United States, vote and have an impact, and join the political arena. Rosa Key, a member of Sacred Heart Parish, received the second annual John Sparks Memorial Award for her thousands of hours of service as a volunteer at the University of Utah Hospital, and as a member and officer in various positions in the Diocesan Council of Catholic Women. Key founded the Utah Black Catholics under the direction of Bishop William K. Weigand in 1984. In November 2006, she received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award from President George W. Bush.
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