Genesis Express organized a Freedom March to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At 10 a.m. city and school officials, students, and people old and young gathered to march at the ASK Family Resource Center. The March was given the slogan "Strive to keep it alive in 2005."
Before the march began, Reverend Tom Martin led the group in a prayer. Dexter Wilford sang the National Anthem. George Radford gave the group a speech on why they were marching. He said, "Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of action." Radford expressed that even though it was cold and a long walk, to keep the dream alive everyone must keep marching.
The group marched down Main Street with a police escort. They marched past the courthouse and turned onto Brown Street. From Brown Street they turned onto Jefferson Street where they marched up the hill to Bloomfield Missionary Baptist Church. The march was 1.4 miles in length.
This is the tenth year that the group has marched. The march began in 1996. "We were really pleased with the march. It was somewhat deceptive. We had fifty people or so marching on the street. But then we had four vans that followed behind. Each van had eight or ten people in it," said George Radford.
At the Church a service was held for all who marched and anyone else wishing to participate. Cave Spring Baptist Church choir sang and led everyone in the music selections. Bloomfield Baptist Church's pastor, E.A. Brown welcomed everyone on such a historic day.
George Radford, with Genesis Express, welcomed the guest speaker to the event, Reverend Shalmon Radford. Radford preaches at Cave Spring Baptist Church. George Radford said, "He is mature beyond his years."
Rev. Radford spoke of equality and helping humanity. He said to the people present, "Do your part personally to insure that equality happens."
At the end of the program the President of Genesis Express, Fred Wilson, Jr. thanked the many people who made the march possible. He said, "I want to thank our program committee for putting this together." He also announced that January 18 marked the celebration of 18 years of Genesis Express. "We've stuck it out and I commend these guys. They do a lot for our community," said Wilson.
