CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Reverend putting 'improvement' back in MIA

Montgomery Advertiser - 8/26/2017

Aug. 25--On the 54th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech, the Montgomery organization he led is inviting the public to join in a new cause.

Rev. Cromwell Handy has had King's torch passed to him in more ways than one. Handy is pastor at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, where King led sermons at during the civil rights movement. One year ago, Handy became president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, an organization founded by civil rights leaders who chose King as the first MIA president at the beginning of the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

But in trying to modernize the MIA and reinforce its connection to the birthplace of the civil rights movement," Handy envisions an MIA that works with the city to breed a culture of "unity, peace and love" in all parts of Montgomery.

More: Barber describes his conversations with Dr. King

More: When will MLK statue dream become reality for Montgomery?

That's why he is inviting all citizens to a free meeting at 6 p.m.Aug. 28 at the King Memorial Legacy Center behind Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. Rep. John Knight, D-Montgomery, and Mayor Todd Strange are expected to attend as well.

"The goal is to unite us in Montgomery and move forward on some of our issues, particularly as it pertains to the youth," Handy said. "We want to work with the city to enhance areas of the city. We know we can do better, especially when you hear shootings taking place every weekend between young people. ... Red, yellow, black and white, unity, peace and love is the direction we need to be going."

The issues Handy wants the MIA to help address are numerous: youth development, high school dropout rate, recidivism and voter registration and information. King's MIA pushed the city to heal its racial divide. As MIA president, Handy hopes to unite all citizens behind the idea of bridging economic gaps, gaps Handy sees as the source of many of Montgomery's issues.

"When people don't care what the unemployment rate is, that will affect you in some way," Handy said. "It will have an impact in the form of someone breaking in your house or robbing your car even if you say don't care about unemployment rate. It can make all of our lives more fruitful if we support helping others."

Handy helped organize a predatory lending awareness workshop two years ago and hope to host entrepreneurship workshops to give people another reason not to rob fellow Montgomerians.

More: Deadly days: In Montgomery, 9 killed by gunfire since June 15

Fifty-four years ago, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King said, "Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children. It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment."

That's how Handy views the present moment for Montgomery and the MIA: an opportunity to further unite the city and address the chronic issues at the root of surface problems such as crime and school test scores.

"I won't be a part of anything perfunctory or ceremonial, especially with the name Montgomery Improvement Association," Handy said, emphasizing "improvement." "We ought to be relevant today as much as we were in 1955."

The free meeting is at 6 p.m.Aug. 28.

___

(c)2017 the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.)

Visit the Montgomery Advertiser (Montgomery, Ala.) at www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.