‘We are connected’: Downers Grove gathering honors MLK’s legacy, urges recommitting to his dream

More than 100 parishioners gathered Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Downers Grove to both honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and remember that there is more work to be done to fulfill his dream.

The Northern Illinois Conference United Methodists has held the event for over 50 years in an effort to recommit to King’s vision of the “beloved community.”

Guest speaker the Rev. Danita R. Anderson said she was “very excited, but very nervous” for her first time speaking at the MLK event that she’s been attending for more than two decades.

“I just want to talk about our current situation and how we need to complete the dream, or work on the dream at least,” she said. “It seems like we’ve kind of gone backward and forgotten about some of it.”

Anderson’s address, “The Unfinished Agenda,” followed opening hymns from regional church choirs, including the Swahili Choir of Rockford Victory UMC and a rendition of “Precious Lord” by Michael Tabb.

Anderson described King as a “modern day prophet” who wanted us to live together and care for “not just the people we like, but everybody we encounter.”

King’s life and agenda was about showing people they had to work together, she said

“It takes all of us,” Anderson added. “Whether we like it or not, we’re connected. It doesn’t matter if we look alike, it doesn’t matter if we think alike … we are connected.”

Anderson asked her audience to think about the work in front of them to fulfill King’s dream.

“How can we work to become a better beloved community? How can we work to eradicate racial injustice? How can we help there be human dignity for everybody?” she asked. “Is there a place at the table for everybody? If not, get up and give them yours.”