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Tuskeegee Airman Honors MLK

Tuskeegee Airman Honors MLK

The Duchesne Center for Religion and Social Justice honored the life of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. on January 25 with a special lecture by Dabney N. Montgomery, Church Historian and Tuskegee Airman - WWII. This lecture is the 3rd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lecture event sponsored by Manhattanville College. Father Wil Tyrell and his class recently visited Montgomery's church, Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, on 137th Street in Harlem. "I was amazed by Montgomery's wealth of historical knowledge, his humble personality, and his willingness to share his life experiences with us," said Father Wil Tyrrell, Catholic Chaplain/Lecturer at Manhattanville College.
The theme of Montgomery's speech was "The Man and His Legacy: A Journey of Friendship." As a friend of the late Dr. King, Montgomery shared first hand experience with the students and faculty in attendance.

King was "a very happy fellow and an ordinary guy," said Montgomery. "He was also a very serious young man and showed leadership at a very young age."

Montgomery was an activist during the Civil Rights Movement and marched with the late Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He served as one of King's bodyguards during the March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in the 1960s.

To Correct a Sin

Montgomery spoke about the time when black and whites could not ride together on buses. He said King always maintained a non-violent position against the segregation law and told Montgomery that the message to whites should be: "We don't hate you. We are just not going to obey your law. If we are to correct a sin, two wrongs will not do it. You cannot cure one ill with another. You must use love, not guns or fighting. He maintained this position until the (segregation) law was changed a year later," said Montgomery.

The importance of King's words is still evident today. "God has given us common sense," said Montgomery. "If we fail to use it we are in trouble. But if we stand up for what is good and right then the spirit of King will live on. Look for the beauty in every person."