MLK Jr. presenter urges attendees to act on their beliefs

By RICHARD NILSEN, The Leader-Herald

JOHNSTOWN — Barry Scott’s dream is to keep the memory of Martin Luther King Jr. alive.

In his tribute to the slain reformer Wednesday at Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Scott said the battle for the minds of youths has changed from one of racial prejudice to a need for diversity of expression and ideas.

“What do you think? What do you feel? What do you believe?” were the questions Scott put to the audience in the college theater. After saying he most wanted to be a better son and a better father, Scott related how early prejudice against himself and his family in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn., led to the emulation of King’s methods of counteracting prejudice. He said his father brought a film of King’s “I have a dream” speech to their home after King was assassinated, and he watched it over and over until he had it memorized.

Scott said the way he could best honor King’s memory was to present a living version of King to an audience that had never experienced the man nor knew what it was like to “grow up colored.” As an actor who appeared in each of the “Ernest” series of movie comedies and as a writer, director and voice-over professional, Scott said he wanted to present a living example of King.

Scott quipped to the audience that they needn’t take others’ criticisms too seriously. “After all, [King] got a ‘C’ in leadership in school,” he said. “Character counts more than race. Your generation is past that.”

Audience members from the area included Betsy Reksc of Benson who said she thought Scott’s talk was “amazing.”

“I’m so glad I came today,” she said.

Michele Kilmartin of Johnstown agreed with Reksc and brought her grandchildren, Dominic Altieri, 11, and Marino Fabozzi, 10, along with her to experience a bit of living history.

“They don’t know about the fight for civil rights or the women’s movement,” Kilmartin said. “It’s important to understand the past and how we got here.”

FMCC student Stefanie Beekman, 18, of Amsterdam said she thought the presentation was “great.”

“People who didn’t come missed out,” Beekman said.

After asking what the audience thought, felt and believed, Scott encouraged them to speak and act on their beliefs.

“The question is not rhetorical,” Scott said.

Some responses from the audience included, “I believe in working for change in the future,” and “If I wanted to, I could make a difference.”
Scott said he had great faith in the youth of the country and that King’s sacrifice wouldn’t be forgotten.

He is working to make that a reality, with 32 shows over a period of six weeks.

“I also do a ‘Courage to Lead’ presentation for colleges and corporations,” Scott said. “It’s part keynote speech, part lecture and part seminar.”

Scott also directs the Equity Theater Company in Nashville.

The performance was sponsored by the FMCC Student Activities Board in observance of Black History Month.