“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

This week I thought about several individuals who reside here “Around the Banks of the Suwannee” who are, in my mind, at least, examples of what Dr. King’s dream was all about, which was a more tolerant, more accepting, more loving America, where opportunities abounded for people everywhere. There are others, I know, who fit this bill, but since this is my column, I am going to name a few.

Mr. Charles Blalock of Live Oak.  Mr. Blalock’s career in education, at least in his early years, was at the  all black, completely segregated J.R.E. Lee High School in Jasper, Florida.  He coached there. Later, he went on to become the very first African American principal in Hamilton County’s newly de-segregated school system at Central Hamilton Elementary in Jasper, Florida.  He was beloved of the community and the students in that position. He was the principal who recommended me for my first job teaching in 1981. It was during that school year, he was offered the position of principal at Suwannee Elementary East School in Live Oak, and he spent a number of years there before running for school superintendent of Suwannee County. He was the first African American elected to that position ever in the history of Suwannee County. A position he held for two terms. He returned to Hamilton County, ran for school superintendent there in 2000 and was Superintendent of Schools for one term in Hamilton County. Again making history as the very first African American ever elected to that position. Despite all the accolades Mr. Blalock has received, and there have been many, it has always been his great humanity, his love for his fellow man, for children, for community, that has stood out to me more than anything. Oh, and his great sense of humor.  It has lifted me more times that I can count. He has always been my friend, and he always will be, through good times and bad. In happy times and sad times.  He and his wife, Mrs. Pauline Blalock as well as his family serve as examples to us all of  Dr. King’s dream.

The late Mrs. Melonese Hunter of White Springs. She never attained a college education. She might not have attained a high school diploma. She came along during a period of time of strict segregation in the deep south. In small, rural north Florida communities, if you were African American and a female, two roads were open to you in most cases. You could become a domestic in a well to do white household or you might become a school teacher.  She was neither. What she learned to do is to master the craft of southern cookery, especially in relation to the best pies in the world. I can close my eyes and taste her lemon meringue, her coconut custard cream pies, her chocolate pies. I can see the meringues, fluffy, wonderful.  It wasn’t so much that she made these pies from scratch. It was her vision in making them. Thousands of Melonese Hunter’s pies were sold to affluent white households through the years for special occasions. My Daddy’s sisters, the late Henry Eva Bullard Roberts and Charity “Chat” Bullard Mann, did not do a lot of baking. Their baking for holidays consisted of placing their orders with Mrs. Hunter early on and standing orders for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Our sideboards were ladened with her beautiful pies.  Almost each cent she made from these pies went into her church, St. Luke Freewill Baptist Church and its ongoing ministry. Madame C.J. Walker may have been America’s first black millionaire with her patented hair relaxer for African American hair, but here in our little town of White Springs, St. Luke Freewill Baptist Church, was, to a large extent, was built as a result of a lady who was faithful in doing best with what she had and where she was. She did it to further the opportunities of her people and their spiritual and physical well being. To me, that says a lot about the dream of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.

Paula Williams of  Jasper was an educator. Ms. Williams who is presently a guidance counselor at Hamilton County High School has worked with children in Hamilton County for close to three decades. During that time, no one has worked harder building rapport with all sectors of the community, cheerleader sponsor, teacher, cheerleader for the school district, working tirelessly for her church Greater Poplar Springs Baptist Church in Jasper, ministering to the bereaved and the fallen, encouraging those who need encouragement, organizing special events that benefit the life the community and always presenting herself in a positive light. She is still doing just that. Paula loves Hamilton County and its young people, and she has given the better part of her life to making the place where we live more positive. When her children leave her, she continues to monitor their lives, to pay visits and stay in touch.   

She will, in a heartbeat, contact you and let you know if there is a need for a child and tell you what you can do to help. When she calls, I try and always comply, because Paula is like the widow petitioning the judge in the Bible, she won’t let up till you give in.  An extraordinary educator, a devoted Christian, a marvelous supporter of children and a lover of humanity. Paula is all these things, and she has one of the greatest loves for home in Hamilton County. Paula G. Williams encapsulates and represents the parameters of the dream of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The late Lillian Smith (1898-1967). This native of Jasper, Florida, has never been given proper due by her hometown of Jasper. I don’t know why. The city council of Jasper and its government should do something to honor one who has an international literary award named for her at the University of Georgia, one of the most prestigious awards in the world. She was born in Jasper and wrote two books set in Jasper, “Strange Fruit” and “A Memory of a Large Christmas.” She was a forerunner of the modern civil rights movement with her “Killers of the Dream” and, as a white woman who was educated and born to affluence risked great danger in her dream. Yet, in the town of her birth, not one marker, not one mention, nothing. It’s a shame really when Jasper could use this positive promotion, and if handled correctly, it would be a promotion that could draw national and international attention to the town. Lillian Smith sent letters to Dr. Martin Luther King while he was in the Birmingham Jail, quotes from her “Killers of the Dream.” So much of what he used in his speech was paraphrased from her works. She was, indeed, part of the dream mentioned by Dr. King.

I could name many more who encapsulate and represent this dream. There are others, but, for the sake of brevity, I am going to stop and simply say, I wish everyone a good week and, as we approach the Martin Luther King Day holiday, let us remember that love, tolerance and making the world a more positive place is not exempt to any one group of people. It is a gift we can all give and keep giving. In so doing, we can be part of the dream that Dr. King spoke of in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, wishing you all a day filled with joy, peace, and, above all, lots of love and laughter. Have a wonderful Martin Luther King Day holiday.