(Seguin) – As the country on Monday observed and celebrated the life and legacy of slain civil rights activist, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the community of Seguin not only reflected on his legacy but also on its own attempt to continue his quest for justice, equality, and peace.
Among those speaking during this year’s MLK Day Program in Central Park was Seguin Police Chief Terry Nichols.
“In 1958, Dr. King was quoted in Ebony magazine in an article titled, ‘Advice for Living.’ ‘People fail to get along because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other. They don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.’ Now as a professional law enforcement officer and as your chief of police, this speaks to my heart. Many conflicts whether great or small could have been prevented or resolved if we had simply gotten to know one another before the conflict.’ I would add Dr. King’s quote that ‘communicating and getting to know each other builds trust.’ Being able to trust one another, no matter their position in society, their beliefs, the color of their skin is fundamental to a healthy society and a community,” said Nichols.
Nichols says decades after his death, much of what Dr. King pursued was again heavily questioned in June of 2020 when the country saw many of its cities burning –all due to turmoil brought upon the murder of a black man, George Floyd, by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Nichols says although hundreds of miles away, that tragedy did not fall on deaf ears here in Seguin.
“A lot of folks, many of you, many of all different races, all different religions, all different ages, backgrounds came together to realize that was not right and something must be done. We came out here as well the men and women you see surrounding you protecting you today in the blue uniform like I am wearing to make sure that our voices, your voice can be heard and on that June day, we came out here for that very purpose, to make sure voices could be heard. That led to something created by many greater than I,” said Nichols.
A public gathering of protest and prayer in Seguin’s downtown square, however, did not stop on that one day.
In fact, Nichols says it was key and paramount in the creation of what is now known as the Seguin’s Community Coalition – a coalition created and defined by several key residents all who wanted to bridge a relationship with local law enforcement as to prevent such tragedies from ever happening here in our own community.
“We had two big events in Novembers at TLU. The first one was very simple. It was breaking bread. It was getting police officers and our civilian staff to get to know folks that may not look like them, who talk like them or pray like them and we sat around and (broke) bread together. We had hamburgers and we played games and we had fun. We weren’t in uniforms. We were in plain clothes just like you are today. So, we wanted people to know us human beings – as fathers, as mothers, as grandmothers and grandfathers, as brothers and sisters and coaches and pastors and parishioners – you name it. We are part of this community,” said Nichols.
The other big event as noted by Nichols immediately followed its gathering with students.
“We followed that up with a tough conversation with one of our own Officer Brandon Smith who put himself out there to have a tough conversation and what we called Beyond Brutality, and we did not come up with that name easily. That name meant something. It meant we first have to acknowledge that it happens and then we want to figure out how we get beyond that it happens. As my job as chief and the men and women surrounding you protecting you today, we know that it doesn’t happen here. We don’t want it to happen here. We won’t tolerate it happening here, but we are realists. We do realize it happens across this county and we want to do anything in our power to see that it will never ever happen here and when we see it happen elsewhere across the country, we condemn it for what it is,” said Nichols.
Also sharing their own personal messages on Monday included Seguin City Councilwoman Monica Carter and Pastor Jeanet Jackson, the pastor at Wesley Harper United Methodist Church. Providing uplifting music was the New St. James Baptist Church Praise Team.
Monday’s MLK Day Program was again hosted by the Seguin MLK Day Planning Committee. The event was the only event held this year due to the latest surge in COVID-19 cases. The committee which was also forced to cancel its annual March says it hopes to return the four-day celebration to Seguin in 2023.
