`r&d' Works To Stretch The Audience

Andrew Urisko 
January 20, 1997 
Andrew S. Urisko Of River Street, Forty Fort, Died Monday At The Kingston 
Health Care Center, Kingston.

Thursday, January 23, 1997 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A 





Program fit for King &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Spotless in a freshly ironed white shirt and perfectly knotted necktie, the
child took a deep breath, shook off a case of the jitters and sang so
wholeheartedly that his voice carried all the way to the back of the
churchSwaying left and swaying right, rolling with the strong smooth motion of
innocence unleashed, his sweet tune harmonized with notes held by other
children in the choir. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Creating a mound of sound, this music for Martin rang melodious Monday
night. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It was the real deal live from the mount. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Judging from the heartfelt program at the Mt. Zion Baptist Church on Hill
Street in Wilkes-Barre, my faith is firm that these children one day will
reach the mountain. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Just like Martin Luther King Jr. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To scale the peak in all its glory, however, will take a little help from
the elders. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Adults who listened to the vignettes offered from the life of the late
civil rights leader and read by the young to honor his birthday must vow a
commitment to conscience. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Disobedience is not a four-letter word. Sometimes it's downright civil. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Revolution isn't always violent. Sometimes it's loaded with love. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 And there's no better ammo than an abiding devotion to justice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Taking lessons from Gandhi, Thoreau and other champions of non-aggressive
activism, King risked everything so people could see for themselves that
peaceful protest terrorizes the status quo much more than violence ever could. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's easy to meet force with force. But calm resistance unnerves a bully
every time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Peace is the truest power of the people. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 King knew that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The clergyman also knew that meeting fire with fire involves less courage,
skill and technique than engaging in creative non-violence. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Oppressors always deal in fury. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Attack dogs, fire hoses, nightsticks, punches, kicks, bullets and death
greeted the freedom riders who sacrificed themselves on behalf of the civil
rights movement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The cost of freedom was high. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It remains dangerous to fight the power. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Perhaps because King's courage fortified the crowd in the homey church on
the hill Monday night, when the program concluded, the Rev. George Smith
echoed the very principles that created a martyr. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Urging the packed house of worship to vote and to hold elected officials
accountable for their actions, Smith also urged the congregants to stand
against oppression at work and in the community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 To do so, however, takes as much risk today as it did when the KKK ruled
the deep South. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Too many men, the "sick white brothers" to whom King referred in his last
speech the day before he died, still rule. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wilkes-Barre is not immune to their affliction. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For what it's worth, not one elected public official showed up at Mt. Zion
for the program. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By itself, their absence matters little. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Import is measured in the impact of King's example to those who did attend
-- especially the children who made such a joyful noise unto the future. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For the most part, those who showed up at Monday night's program are
everyday people in this city, African-American citizens who live down-to-earth
lives without fanfare or fancy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Many of them likely find prayerful comfort in that kind of anonymity. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Our community's best-recognized leaders wouldn't know their faces in a
crowd. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But that's OK. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It's not material what others see in their carriage. What's important is
how they see themselves. What's important is what they're willing to do to
guarantee black children a place among us. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For a few hours at the church on the hill on a special sacred day, they
swayed with the spirit of social justice. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Martin's message of peace prevailed. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Long live the King. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Steve Corbett's column appears Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. E-mail Corbett
at stevec@abc.com &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Program Fit For King 
Spotless In A Freshly Ironed White Shirt And Perfectly Knotted Necktie, The 
Child Took A Deep Breath, Shook Off A Case Of The Jitters And Sang So 
Wholeheartedly That His Voice Carried All The Way To The Back Of The Church.

Program Fit For King Spotless In A Freshly Ironed White Shirt And Perfectly Knotted Necktie, The Child Took A Deep Breath, Shook Off A Case Of The Jitters And Sang So Wholeheartedly That His Voice Carried All The Way To The Back Of The Church.