Federal Judge Leslie Abrams ties past with present at King Day Celebration | VIDEO | PHOTO GALLERY

ALBANY — Hundreds of people turned out Monday night to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the 2015 King Day Celebration featuring the presentation of the annual Dream Awards and the poignant remarks of keynote speaker Leslie Abrams, who highlighted America’s struggle for equal rights throughout its history and King’s impact on that struggle and in her life.

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Abrams, who became the first African American woman to hold the position of U.S. Middle District of Georgia Judge when appointed by President Barack Obama in 2014 to replace Louis Sands, summed up the night’s theme “Crossing Borders, Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges,” as she recounted a litany of important events throughout the country’s history.

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The child of minister parents who were involved in the Civil Rights Movement, Abrams said she grew up listening to their memories and learning about some of the lessons and struggles they encountered.

“They understood that justice and its pursuit had no age limit, and it had no deadline,” said Abrams. “It was a steady diet of those stories and lessons from my parents that led me to follow in my father’s footsteps and earn a degree in African American History. More over it was their collective example that reminded me daily of my obligation to be a part of the struggle for human rights and dignity.”

Those lessons are what fueled Abrams to study African American History at Brown University, to study law at Yale Law School, and to forge a career working with the law, which she feels is the most important place for change to be affected in the country.

“I come here today to talk about the long road of America and the path that we have trod to the place where I have made my stand, that is with the laws of our nation and the hope embedded in the very rule of law,” said Abrams. “It is a hope that Dr. King understood and embodied, that he called to in his speeches and his very actions. Dr. King’s words, his vision, and his legacy were an integral part of my childhood and my parents strove to impart those lessons that he taught to the nation. We can all recall quotes from his oratories and the speeches he delivered at the March on Washington, will never cease to reverberate across this country.”

For Abrams America’s struggle toward equality for all began at the inception of the country, when the Declaration of Independence was written, stating that the founders of the nation believed that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

“The declaration was more than simply a call to cessation,” said Abrams. “The founders wove into this mission a moral challenge one that we as a nation have grappled with for centuries. The newly founded United States of America was obliged to have a purpose deeper than mere existence, more profound than just surviving, the nation born in the Declaration of Independence was a dream, a vision for liberty and justice and continuity of purpose.”

Abrams said that is was that foundation that has served as the promise that drove individuals such as Abraham Lincoln and other abolitionists to work toward ending slavery, and that drove King’s purpose.

Citing a speech King gave at the commencement address at Lincoln University in 1961 that he called “The American Dream,” Abrams explained that King stressed the importance of striving for the promise of that document.

“Dr. King spoke of these words from the Declaration of Independence and said that ‘the American dream was expressed in these sublime words, words lifted to cosmic proportions,’” Abrams quoted. “But Dr. King noted that this American Dream was not yet fulfilled. For too long the fulfillment of the American dream was denied to those that had built this country.”

As with every year at the King Day Celebration, one of the highlights is the presenting of the Dream Awards which are given by a committee of leaders to four area citizens that embody the spirit of the late civil rights leader through their positive attitude and tireless service work.

“The Dream Awards honor men and women and most recently youth who live by Dr. King Jr.’s adage that the time is always right to do what is right,” said 2015 Dream Awards committee chair Sherell Boyd. “For over two decades the Dream Awards has honored individuals in the Southwest Georgia community who have made the decision to walk in the light of altruism rather than in the darkness of destructive selfishness.”

The two Youth Service Awards were presented to Albany High School junior James N. Robinson III and Lee County High School senior Candace Emory Shirley.

The first recipient of the adult Dream Award was given to Hilton H. Gillespie, a long-time pastor in south Georgia who is currently serving as associate pastor at Albany Grace Church of the Nazarene. Gillespie was presented the award due to his many years of service in the community as both a spiritual advisor and community volunteer.

The second adult Dream Award recipient was Anne Johnson Milledge, president and CEO of Albany’s H.E.A.R.T. (Hands Extended Across Reaching Together) Inc. As a community volunteer with a number of area organizations, in addition to H.E.A.R.T., Milledge was chosen for her volunteer service.

In addition to the awards presentations and speaker remarks, guests at this year’s King Day event were also treated to a recitation of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech by Seantavious Wimberly.