Leroy "Pete" Burney
Text of Burney’s speech at Sunday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration
Editor’s note: The following is the text of Leroy “Pete” Burney’s speech given at Sunday’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration in Eunice.
I’m honored to be here with you to share a few perspectives on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the context of this year’s theme — one race, the human race.
As I thought about the message I would share with you today, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the notion that over the years I’ve given countless presentations in various military and business settings, but rarely have I addressed my faith community in this type of setting. Therefore, my initial inclination was to brush up on my homiletics, the art of musical rhetoric associated with preaching. But my better judgment won out — considering the presence of distinguished clergy who would put me to shame in that regard. So rather, I’ll leave the preaching to the preachers — and you just get plain old Pete, the former dusty red-headed kid from Anne alley who rode these streets on a bicycle growing — but I’ll do my best to keep your interest and engagement — and perhaps leave you with a few meaningful thoughts to ponder.
Not having been part of the planning process to arrive at this year’s theme, I nonetheless applaud the wisdom and insight of the committee to select a theme fitting for the times. For there is indeed a need that we re-affirm our faith in the goodness of mankind in these challenging days of unrest, fear, tension — and yes, hopelessness, in the minds of all too many.
I thought I would begin today by sharing an excerpt from Dr. King’s book published in 1963 entitled “Strength to Love,” because in addition to the root word, Love, in the book’s title, at the core of this compilation of sermons lies two critical themes — discipline and non-conformity.
He writes as follows: “The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined non-conformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”
In this statement lies a plea for oneness, for love, for compassion, for peace — but also an appeal to us for strength and determination to go against the grain of injustice when injustice is obvious to us. In his reference to “disciplined non-conformity” I think he was simply telling us to recognize what needs to be done and to take action in the right way to bring about positive change.
In the essay he continues, saying, “The trailblazers in human, academic, scientific and religious freedom have always been non-conformists. In any cause that concerns the progress of mankind, put your faith in the non-conformist.”
Today, in keeping with this year’s theme of valuing the human race, I’d like to take Dr. King’s references to discipline and non-conformity and build on them — with a call to action for each of us.
So, if Dr. King expressed the importance of disciplined non-conformity to ensure the principles of justice, peace and brotherhood, I want to urge you to do two things — or to behave in two ways, so you can do your part.
To help you recall these two things, during this time of year that is football season, I’ll ask you to think about two letters from the alphabet, the letter T and the letter D — TD, think touchdown. A touchdown being symbolic of success or winning. So, for us to win as a society, we have to be thinkers and we have to be doers. Say it with me please — We have to be thinkers and we have to be doers.
So let’s talk about what it means to be a thinker. We are absolutely bombarded today with media messaging around the clock, so much so that’s it’s increasingly difficult to know what the truth really is. On one side of the aisle of Congress, Donald Trump is satan and on the other Hillary Clinton is satan — neither sentiment being rooted in reality. While this year’s election has been marked by unprecedented vitriol and meanness, the only way for us to be better citizens who strive for peace and harmony is for us to think for ourselves. Lest we find ourselves languishing in a perpetual thicket of despair and victimhood.
You don’t have to be highly educated to ask good questions, to think about what’s right and fair, to control your emotions and try to understand varying points of view, so you can take action in a controlled and productive manner.
I recall several years ago driving in to work one morning and the two radio personalities on the station I was listening to were really disparaging one of the candidates in an upcoming election, but in particular, they were especially critical of one political party. It’s the only time I’ve ever called in to a radio program; I did so that morning and the statement I made had nothing to do with partisan politics, but rather I appealed to the announcers and to the listening audience to think for themselves, to research issues for themselves and to vote from the heart, yes, but with fact-based evidence of what a particular candidate or issue on a ballot means to them as individuals and to the best interests their community. The reason for sharing this is simply to, and I’ll use this word repeatedly, appeal to you to think for yourselves when it comes to issues confronting us in today’s complicated world. For it is only when we become thinkers that we become effective doers.
So thus far I’ve been talking about the T in touchdown, thinking for yourself. Now I’d like to talk about the D, the doing. For this is where the proverbial rubber meets the road. As we know, the book of James chapter 2, verse 14 says “what good is it for someone to have faith but no deeds?” Dr. King said, “Too often our lives are characterized by high blood pressure of creeds and anemia of deeds.”
Now you might be thinking, “What can I really do to affect change?” Here’s my short list of just a few possibilities:
— Go to a city council meeting, a school board meeting or other public forum if you can.
— Call your state representative or congressman to express your opinion on a key issue.
— Invite people with similar convictions to yours to your home to discuss issues and to create action plans.
— Mentor a youth in the ways he or she must go.
— Volunteer at a school.
— Watch CNN, C-span and even FOX News on occasion to hear multiple sides of issues
— Load a news app or two on your phone or tablet.
These are just a few thoughts on how you can be thinkers and doers. The stakes are so high for us today, and for generations to come.
In the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” toward the end of the story Alexander Hamilton says the following:
“Legacee, What is a legacee?
It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see” sprout and bloom and bear fruit.
It’s Pete’s humble opinion that your legacy is defined by your ability to think critically so you can make wise decisions and take disciplined action toward solving problems. Legacy is about influencing the lives of those who come behind you, those human saplings that sit in your Sunday School classes and play on this basketball court where we sit today — and even the generations that follow them. Be action oriented because the next generation needs you.
In her final public address last week First Lady Michelle Obama asked us to “rise above the rhetoric of doubt, division, anger and fear.” How do we do that? I contend it’s by being composed citizens who are independent thinkers and non-conforming doers. That’s how we score touchdowns. That’s how we win as a community, and as a society. We must push beyond complaining and commiserating to a positive spirit of confidence and conviction to do more.
In conclusion, I started my remarks with excerpts from Dr. King’s book entitled “Strength to Love.” I’ll conclude with an excerpt from his “Letter from the Birmingham City Jail in 1963.”
He said, “The question is not whether we should be extremists, but what kind of extremists should we be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love?”
In all of your dealings, I encourage you to assume good intentions, because chronic paranoia and suspicion are unhealthy. But please don’t confuse the assumption of good intentions with naivete’. Trust, yes, but think for yourself and verify if you feel you need to.
Dr. King said be a disciplined non-conformist; be an extremist in your pursuit of love over hate. And I say, be a thinker and be a doer. For these collectively are the keys to advancing our race — the human race.
Thank you and God Bless you.