Black History Month: Descendants of MLK, Coretta Scott, and Gandhi speak on the legacy of their ancestors on the Eastern Shore
Honoring History
EASTERN SHORE, Md. – We’ve all heard the names MLK, Coretta Scott, and Gandhi associated with rights for all, but did you know about the historical ties these prominent leaders have to the Eastern Shore?
Descendants of Greatness
May 1959 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at then Maryland College and subsequently sparked an end to segregation in Princess Anne. 73-year-old Joel L. King Jr. is his first cousin who’s come back to UMES to bring Dr. King’s legacy alive full circle. He says it’s a heavy burden but it’s a good burden.
“I think people just need to go back and read the history and never forget the history. Go back and read the speeches, the “Letter to Birmingham” The March on Washington “I had a dream” It was more than just a dream, he wasn’t’ just dreaming… We came to Washington to cash a check, and I’m like Dr. King, I’m still waiting on my money. ”
Behind every Great Man, is a Great Woman
Or that’s how the phrase goes. 66-year-old Gregory Foster s describes his cousin Coretta Scott King as a mother, teacher, and an overall good person. She made her debut on the Shore in 1978 when she spoke at the Ella Fitzgerald Arts Center at UMES and received a key to the city of Salisbury from Mayor Elmer Ruark.
Foster wants students to understand although she was Martin’s wife, she was her own woman first. “Most people may forget sometimes that she had a life mission, and that was to continue social justice not just for herself, but her children, women of this country, and just, people.”
“Nonviolence is a weapon of the strong”
A quote straight from Mahatma Gandhi. His legacy has lived in the shore for over a quarter of a century, as Salisbury University students were able to learn about his methods from his grandson Dr. Arun Gandhi, and how Dr. King came to India to learn from him in 1959.
65-year-old Tushar Gandhi is Gandhi’s great grandson and says as people from 2 very important countries we share a very close legacy and faith, and freedom are aligned. “I think it was beautifully summed up by Dr. King himself when he said that Jesus taught us the ideal, and Gandhi taught me the method… the basic teaching of any religion is for the betterment of human beings and not just its practitioners.”
Legacy of Legends
Though they have some big shoes to fill, they take each step with pride and are guided by their ancestors to continue those legacies. “Today when that legacy is being undermined, I think we need to combine our forces and ensure even if the person’s that we represent are forgotten- the legacies and the ideas and the methods, are never ever forgotten,” says Tashur Gandhi.
For more information on the legacy the King’s left behind you can go visit The University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s website, and for Gandhi’s contributions, you can visit the Bosserman Center.
