The MLK Day dream

Many people in the CNMI have wished, hoped and even dreamed of an official Martin Luther King Day in the CNMI. I was one of those dreamers and it was a great day for the Commonwealth, a great day for America and a great day for me to witness the MLK Day bill being signed. The recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday in the Commonwealth completes the unification of America in celebrating Dr. King’s birth and his contributions to America and mankind. The Legislature, the Governor and the people of the CNMI that supported MLK Day are to be commended for staying the course and making MLK Day possible in the CNMI.

The history of the many attempts to add MLK Day began over a decade ago when African-Americans started to lobby the Legislature. The most noted of these people were attorney Joe Hill, Dr. John Joyner and Bill Neighbors but there were many others that have left the Commonwealth. There were even several gatherings over the years on MLK Day in front of the Legislature by African-Americans and locals to persuade legislation for an MLK Day. Eventually, African-American groups sprang up to sustain the effort in the early ’90s. The first organized group was called the “Concerned Citizens” and it latter became the African & African-American Committee. But due to an unstable Africans & African-American community, none of these groups were able to sustain themselves. There were more individual efforts to celebrate MLK Day and to lobby the 12th, 13th & 14th Legislature for a bill to create MLK Day. Judge Kenneth Govendo even urged then Speaker Fitial to introduce a bill on this, which he did on the same day. Mr. Willie Brundage and myself were also lobbying for a bill at that time, which resulted in two bills being written to create an MLK Day. One of the bills actually reached the Governor’s desk in 2005, but it was vetoed because the bill deleted President’s Day.

This past year, the African-American Preservation Committee was created to preserve the African-American heritage and to promote MLK Day and Black History Month in the CNMI. This past MLK Day celebration that was sponsored by the AAPC served as a reminder that the dream was not complete and that we, the CNMI, had a duty to complete the ratification of the American tradition to celebrate MLK Day.

The CNMI and America owes a special thanks to Rep. Jacinta Kaipat for sponsoring the bill, Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, the entire Legislature, Judge Kenneth Govendo, Sen. Maria Pangelinan and many other people for being at the forefront of the quest to make MLK Day a reality in the Commonwealth.

We have closed the chapter on MLK Day being recognized and now we must live out the dream and I can think of no better place to start than by giving CNMI teachers the same respect, equality and permanent contracts that the rest of America’s teachers enjoy. One people, one direction.

Ambrose M. Bennett
Kagman Elementary School