Photo By Dana Rene White | Lewis Sheffield, a retired U.S. Marine, re-enacted the 1963 “I Have a Dream”...... read more read more
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As Erik Hicks sat in the darkened auditorium at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division, listening to Lewis Sheffield reenact Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., he closed his eyes and imagined standing in Washington, D.C. on that hot summer day in 1963 when King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.
“When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir,” Sheffield recited, with the cadence and power of the late revered civil rights leader. “This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
“It was really powerful,” Hicks said.
Hicks was part of a standing-room-only crowd who came to listen to Sheffield reenact King’s famous speech as part of the command’s celebration on Jan. 9 of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
For the last 20-plus years, Sheffield has reenacted the “I have a Dream” speech at churches, schools and other public venues around the country.
A native of Jacksonville, Fla., and a former Marine staff sergeant who retired in 2007, Sheffield began performing his reenactment in 1997, because the 13-minute speech at Martin Luther King Jr. Day events he attended was only shown in small video clips, or someone would just read highlights from the speech.
“I wanted people to hear the real thing,” he explained.
While he may have been nervous the first time he performed the speech in public, after more than 20 years, reciting it has become almost second nature.
“Knowing the speech and what it means—that’s why I don’t have any fear,” Sheffield said. “I have been truly blessed.”
The NSWC PHD event served as a time machine back to Aug. 28, 1963, when King delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The civil rights activist who preached change through nonviolence urged the American government to “make real the promises of democracy” for all of the nation’s people regardless of race, religion or gender.
“Dr. King is perhaps one of the most influential individuals in our history,” NSWC PHD Commanding Officer Capt. Ray Acevedo told the audience. “What he accomplished through peaceful, nonviolent means was amazing. The impact he had on our nation continues today.”
Hicks had seen a similar presentation at Naval Facilities Engineering Command but the guest speaker only read King’s speech rather than reenact it. In contrast, Sheffield’s presentation was “outstanding,” Hicks said.
The command’s African American Focus Group (AAFG) hosted the Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. AAFG Chair Michael Gibbons, a logistics management specialist, said Dr. King’s message of peace “could not ring more true with what we are seeing internationally today.”
“The concept of ‘turn the other cheek’ is something we can all take heed to right now,” he said.
Gibbons also encouraged the event’s attendees to participate in the 34th Annual Ventura County Martin Luther King Jr. Day event, set for Monday, Jan. 20. The event includes a freedom march at 8 a.m. from downtown Oxnard to the Oxnard Police Activities League gymnasium, followed by an observance program and festival. Tickets are $8. For more information, visit https://www.mlkventuracounty.com/.
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 01.14.2020 12:22 |
| Story ID: | 359116 |
| Location: | PORT HUENEME, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 316 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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