The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by a sniper on
April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn., but a local minister is continuing to
press forward with the slain civil rights leader’s dream.
King’s dream not only called for the end of white racist oppression, but economic opportunities for African-Americans.
In
the Twin Counties, Bishop Shelton Daniel, senior pastor at Greater Joy
Church at 820 Nashville Road, seeks to help black owned and operated
businesses be seen by the masses.
In recent years, Daniel has done so with the annual local African-American Business Expo he established.
Daniel said
in less than a few weeks, Greater Joy Church is going to be the scene
of more than 80 proprietors and shopkeepers registered to participate in
the expo.
The expo traditionally follows a service at the church honoring King’s life and times.
Daniel
said he believes King, as an advocate for the masses, had the vision
that all people would have the opportunity to succeed in free
enterprise.
At the same time, he made clear he is seeking to focus
on disparities, such as low-income, poverty-stricken areas, where
African-American businesses do not receive as much public exposure than
in other areas.
“And we’re just trying to just showcase and make sure everyone gets the same opportunities,” he said.
He said from what he and his fellow organizers can gather, the expo seems to have helped African-American businesses.
“It’s
really growing — and I think it is a great excitement for small
business. And so we are real excited about what it is doing and then
what we hope that it will provide for our community,” he said.
He
said most of the participating businesses are from the Rocky Mount area
but added, “there are businesses that are coming out of other areas,”
such as Halifax, Pitt and Wake counties.
He said admission to the expo is free, but he made clear the expo does not allow the participating businesses to sell items.
Daniel said the plan is for an annual service at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21, which is an annual celebration timed with King’s birthday.
Had King still been alive, he would be turning 90.
The service has been a routine locally for at least a decade.
Daniel
said although King was an activist in the political arena, he was a
minister, so the focus of the service is on the preacher part of the
celebration and is attended by a variety of public officials.
He
said the service is going to last approximately an hour and a half and
be followed by the expo, which he expects will last until approximately 2
p.m.
As for a long-term vision for the African-American Business
Expo, Daniel said he hopes it is going to foster other small businesses.
He
said when one looks at impacting the economy, he believes there is
going to be some but not a huge amount of major businesses settling down
in smaller cities.
“So the infusion into the economy in smaller
cities throughout the state is going to be entrepreneurship — and small
businesses helping with that,” he said.
Daniel, 54, is in his 11th
year with Greater Joy and in his 26th year as a pastor. Originally from
the Raleigh-Durham area, he said before he was ordained, he long worked
for IBM.
