“Character and integrity are hard to teach. If you treat a person like a human being, you’ll be all right. I don’t care where you live or where you are from. If you treat another human being, like a human being, you’ll be all right,” Tarleton PD Officer Blessed Matai said during the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast.
The breakfast, hosted by the city of Stephenville, was held Monday, Jan. 19 and celebrated both the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, as well as remembrances about Stephenville Director of Services Darrell Brown who recently passed away. The event included a full breakfast at Greer’s in downtown Stephenville and was well attended.
A moment of silence was held in honor of Brown who was a beloved Stephenville resident and city employee that often helped organize and promote the annual breakfast.
Rotary Representative Kristi Adams presented an award to Mya Guay, a student who participated in the Stephenville Rotary International Speech Contest speaking about the theme for MLK Jr. Day: “Mission Possible 2: Building Community, Uniting a Nation—the Nonviolent Way.”
“We get so stuck in our ways that we don’t want to let go to try something better. The truth we need to realize is, sometimes that change needs to occur. Sometimes change is needed. Differences are what make our communities stay strong. At the end of the day, we are still all humans,” Mya read during her speech.
Music selections were also provided on sax by Dr. Rico Allen, Assistant Professor of Music at Tarleton State University. During the event Stephenville City Manager Jason King welcomed everyone, Erath County JP for Pct. 1,3 and 4 Chili Alexander led participants in the Pledge of Allegiance and Erath County Commissioner Precinct 3 Sherman Edwards offered the invocation.
Officer Matai, who was keynote speaker for the event, encouraged the crowd with thought provoking words as well as moments of laughter. He recounted many experiences of being a black police officer, especially in Odessa.
“Being in a community means seeing each other as human beings first. When people feel heard, respected and valued, the formation of peace has already been laid,” he said. “Nonviolence is not a weakness. It’s a discipline.”