Resolution supports

I Have A Dream Week
By Frank Ruggiero
ruggiero@wataugademocrat.com

The Boone Town Council made certain dreams come true at its regular December meeting.

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19, the council supported I Have A Dream Week, which hosts and promotes various community-based activities to honor King’s legacy.

The week is developed by the I Have A Dream Task Force, which founded the event in 1998, using King’s famous speech as its inspirational springboard to encourage individuals and groups from every background in Watauga County to build a community that demonstrates unity, while celebrating diversity.

Mayor Loretta Clawson has served on the task force for several years and read a proclamation for the council’s approval.

“Whereas, America is a nation whose ancestry includes every people on earth; whose motto is ‘E pluribus unum,’ which means ‘Out of many, one,’ and whose ideals of freedom under the law have inspired millions throughout the world; and

“Whereas, racism is the most challenging issue confronting America today and our country cannot continue to harbor prejudice against any racial or ethnic group without betraying itself; and

“Whereas, for too much of our history ignorance and prejudice have led to endless conflicts in the name of race, class, nation and religion; and progress toward tolerance, mutual respect and unity has been painfully slow and marked with repeated setbacks; and

“Whereas, the well-being of the whole of humankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established; and

“Whereas, the magnitude and urgency of this issue compel us to arise without further delay to celebrate the diversity of the people of Boone, to discourage and confront prejudice and discrimination wherever we may find it, and to participate in I Have A Dream Week as a testimonial of our commitment to unity in diversity.”

Clawson declared Jan. 12 to 20 to be I Have A Dream Week in the town of Boone.