"I'm not a pessimist, but I'm a realist. And as we know, freedom is not free."
Myrlie Evers-Williams, the first woman chair of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, reflected yesterday on the state of social justice and equality in the United States, especially following Sept. 11, during her address at the College's annual celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.
After an introduction and welcome from both President Wright and Afro-American Society President Desmond Nation '02, Evers-Williams spoke before a crowd of almost 900 people about the civil rights legacies of Martin Luther King and her late-husband Medgar Evers -- and the need to continue their missions.
While she recognized their efforts in strengthening the civil rights movement during the 1950s and 1960s, Evers-Williams also knew that each man shared his credit with lesser-known supporters of equality.
"I can count on many people, but the small people, the salt of the earth, are the ones I can count on around the clock," she quoted Evers as saying.
Reflecting on her first husband, Evers-Williams said she had to resist feelings of hatred in the wake of his murder.
"There was a time I thought about hatred, but it proved, as Medgar said, to be a determining factor in a spiral downward."
Refusing to let bitterness overcome her energy, she continued his work for social justice.
According to Evers-Williams, much has been accomplished since King began his nonviolent promotion of equality, but the work is far from done.
"He'd still be concerned about the road we have to travel," she said.
Evers-Williams also addressed the rise of patriotism following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
She expressed pride in being an American and was pleased to see renewed recognition that though many different people compose the country, they are all Americans.
"Let us celebrate what we have in this country -- the ability to be free, to speak, to act, to pursue justice," Evers-Williams said.
"We owe their memories all of the strength and determination that we have, the pocket, mind, soul and vote," she concluded. "Use all of the power that you have, and I guarantee you it will come back tenfold."
Though she shared a strong and serious message, Evers-Williams was also able to endear the audience with some of her lighter reflections.
At one point, she commented that she realized how much this celebration had become part of American society when she saw advertisements for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day sales at stores.
"It was the most pertinent and powerful Martin Luther King address I have heard in my four years at Dartmouth," said Lonnie Threatte '02, president of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
"I hope that the audience heard what I said, and I think they did, that the dream that Dr. King had was a dream for all Americans," she said after the speech.
A Mississippi native, Evers-Williams married civil rights activist Medgar Evers, who was assassinated in front of her and their three children in 1963. After two hung juries failed to obtain a conviction for her husband's murderer, Evers-Williams fought for 31 years to finally bring the case to justice in 1994.
A successful businesswoman and author, her books include "Watch Me Fly: What I Learned on the Way to Becoming the Woman I Was Meant to Be," and "For Us, The Living,"
In 1998 she stepped down from her position as the chair of the NAACP to found the Medgar Evers Institute to promote human rights and equality between business, government and communities.
Evers-Williams has been the recipient of numerous awards, including an Honorary Degree from Dartmouth College in June of 2001.
Her keynote address kicked off the College's weeklong celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. This year's theme is "Transformative Acts: Following King's Footsteps in a Changed World," and includes discussions, performance events and a candlelight vigil.
