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.... Guest Editorial

17th January 2012
The following reflects with pride on all St. Lucians: In Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, February 16, 2012
Statement in acceptance of the MARTIN LUTHER KING LEGACY AWARD in 1989 by Dr. J. Edsel Edmunds, Former Ambassador of St Lucia to the UN, OAS, and USA

“It is a great pleasure and honour for me and my country St Lucia to receive this most prestigious award, The Martin Luther King Legacy Award for international Service. I have received many awards in my life but the award which I receive today is the most significant one that I am to receive for it carries the name of one of the greatest humanists of our times ……a man who fought tirelessly and at great personal sacrifice for the dignity and equality of his fellow men.
“Dr. Martin Luther King was the embodiment of greatness, he was a man who embraced humanism selflessly with arms stretched out with love and compassion for “all of God’s children” in his quest for the equality of man. This is what makes him the international monument that he is today and this is why it is so appropriate that members of the Diplomatic Corps salute his greatness at this time. His inspirational words which still echo and reecho through the hills and valleys and from the mountain tops and hamlets and shores in every land “I have a dream….when all of God’s children…will be able to join hands and sing ……free at last, free at last....” must also be our dream, a truism today as it was in August 1963.
“Let us therefore translate this dream into a reality as we Diplomats engage ourselves in the battlefield, seeking peace on earth for “all of God’s children” for all our people, so that they may be free at last. When we pause to contemplate the problems of the world and the human sufferings which abound, we cannot help thinking that the immortal words of Dr. King are as relevant today as they were in his time.
 
 

“Most Americans think of Dr. King solely in the context of the struggle of the black men and women in America. To me, Dr. King’s exaltations represent an appeal to global humanism, the banner of love for his fellow man in a quest for peace, equality, and freedom for all.
“It is therefore with much humility that I receive The King Legacy Award For International Service. Yes, with profound humility, for, my contributions in international service are infinitesimal compared with the monumental and Herculean contributions of this great man.
“I nevertheless accept this award on behalf of the people of my country, St Lucia, on behalf of you Ambassadors for the opportunity I have had working with you for the betterment of our respective countries and the world at large, for the noble goals of peace and prosperity for ‘all of God’s children’.
“I thank all of you for sharing this event for we are God’s children and we must convert the dream of Dr. King into a reality through our actions when ‘all of God’s children’ will be free at last and we can say ‘Thank God Almighty, Free at Last.’”

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