Last week, Sec. Kluttz joined Governor Pat McCrory, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, the Cabinet and fellow State employees for a service of reflection, music and celebration honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at First Baptist Church on Salisbury Street in Raleigh.
As part of the ceremony, Sec. Kluttz shared an example of the importance of the Arts in improving our communities and its value in a race relations initiative while she was Mayor of Salisbury. Although several initiatives proved to be successful, she thought one of the most effective was the development of the City’s Ecumenical Choir, an idea brought to her by Dr. Philip Burgess, choirmaster of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church.
Dr. Burgess invited choir members from all of the Downtown Churches, both Black and White, together to sing each other’s music - from Anglican to Spiritual. Not only has this initiative continued providing beautiful music for the citizens of Salisbury, but is has had remarkable results. People who may have attended church all of their lives within a block of each other and never met have now developed new and lasting friendships. Racial barriers have been removed through music.
The ceremony included musical selections by Ruth Shumay on violin, Mrs. Elvin McShaw, the Etheridge Sisters and Craig Brown, the presentation of the John R. Larkins awards, as well as remarks by Governor McCrory and keynote address by Dr. Marino Bruce. Students from the Torchlight Academy gave a special presentation of I Have a Dream, spoken in several languages.