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Dees: King's death didn't end the march for justice
By Palm Beach State College
2013 Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Award recipients (from left): Joseph B. Shearouse III, alumni; Yolette Bonnet, Comprehensive AIDS Program of Palm Beach County, organization; John Calderaio, student; and Aileen Josephs, individual.
America is becoming increasingly diverse, and by 2040 people of color will be the majority in the U.S.
"That change is making a lot of people in our country afraid,'' said Morris Dees, a civil rights attorney who co-founded the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., in 1971 and has been fighting against racism and injustice for more than four decades. "We're seeing hatred of this change in America coming up."
Dees was the keynote speaker at the Palm Beach State College 14th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast. He spoke for more than 30 minutes, taking the crowd of about 500 at the Duncan Theatre in Lake Worth on a personal journey of growing up picking cotton in Alabama, working alongside African Americans and witnessing their treatment under the laws of Jim Crow. As he got older, he began to learn more about diversity and to appreciate the phrase "with liberty and justice for all" in the Pledge of Allegiance he was taught in school.
One of his first cases as a civil rights lawyer with the SPLS was fighting for the rights of immigrant Vietnamese shrimpers trying to earn a living on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The immigrants were harassed and intimidated by the Klu Klux Klan; some had their boats burned. Thanks to Dees, a judge ended the Klan's reign of terror against the shrimpers.
"This country is great because of its diversity, not in spite of it,'' said Dees, who noted that Dr. King was his "neighbor" in Montgomery. He said since King's death 45 years ago, the country has been "wandering," likening it to the Old Testament story of the Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years rather than getting to the "promised land" that King spoke of in a speech shortly before his death.
"America has wandered and wandered and wandered,'' he said. "The death of Dr. King didn't end the march for justice. It was just a slowing-down pace to keep going."
As part of the celebration, the College presented its annual Martin Luther King Leadership Awards to individuals who are making a difference in the community. This year's honorees are:
Joseph B. "Jay" Shearouse (Alumni), president and CEO of First Bank of the Palm Beaches and a Palm Beach State alumnus, who was an advocate and helped raise funds for the new Lakeside Medical Center in Belle Glade. He serves as chairman of the board of directors of the United Way of Palm Beach County and on several other boards.
Aileen Josephs (Individual), who has been an immigration attorney in Palm Beach County for 20 years. She has worked tirelessly to protect and safeguard the human and civil rights of immigrants and has dedicated much time advocating for sensible immigration reform.
John Calderaio (Student), an aspiring civil engineer, who overcame drug and alcohol addiction to become an Honors student at Palm Beach State in Palm Beach Gardens. Since achieving sobriety six years ago, the Student Government Association vice president has been on a mission of constant self-improvement and desire to make the community in which he lives a better place.
Comprehensive AIDS Program of Palm Beach County (Organization), the oldest and largest minority-based nonprofit organization dedicated to serving people living with HIV/AIDS. Each year CAP provides food, housing and many other services to more than 2,000 people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.
