By Rev. Dr. Oscar L. Montgomery, Sr., North Huntsville Community United for Action (NHCUA) president and Pastor of Union Hill Primitive Baptist Church
We were blind-sighted by this year’s ward of the MLK Humanitarian Award but are not blind as to its implications. This years’ award created a shameful divide among an already marginalized and disenfranchised segment of the Huntsville community. For the past 34 years, the pastors, black elected officials, and leaders within the black community have celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr’s Day by supporting the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday/ Emancipation Proclamation Program hosted by the Greater Huntsville Interdenominational Ministerial Fellowship (GHIMF) and the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast hosted by the Delta Theta Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
On each of the previous years, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has hosted the Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Unity Breakfast and presented the MLK Humanitarian Award to deserving elected officials and community leaders, who exemplified the spirit and soul of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the following ways: character, compassion, cooperation, and commitment to freedom, justice, and equality of all men and women, boys and girls without regard to race, ethnicity, or social or economic standing. Until this year they had done a pretty good job; however, we were blindsided as a result of the coalescing of a series of unintended, uninformed, and unfortunate circumstances which led to this year’s award being presented to Mayor Tommy Battle. With no disrespect intended, NHCUA and GHIMF feels very strongly that Mayor Battle’s promises have not been validated by his performances and in instances where his words and actions in regard to the African American community in general and North Huntsville specifically, are diametrically opposed to all that Martin Luther King Jr. stood for and for which he gave his life.
As a result, the North Huntsville Committee United for Action (NHCUA) and the Greater Huntsville Interdenominational Ministerial Fellowship (GHIMF), both composed of community-engaged group, pastors, ministers, black elected officials, other community leaders, and others residing in North Huntsville were appalled at this decision and made a passionate appeal to the officers of the Education Committee of Alpha Phi Alpha to reconsider, but to no avail.
Yesterday, the real losers were the citizens of North Huntsville. The men and women who are relegated to the viewing stands to observe the economic parade that is taking place here in Huntsville, while being strategically and systematically excluded from participation in the economic prosperity of this city.
We were blindsided as this years’ award created a regrettably shameful divide among an already marginalized and disenfranchised segment of the Huntsville community but not blind as to its implications, we pray that the breach will be mended as we come together, and in the passionate, pointed and powerful words of this years’ MLK Unity Breakfast, Speaker, Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, “Shake up Huntsville” by coming together, standing up and speaking up for the ideas espoused by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.