I spent part of yesterday afternoon taking part in a panel discussion on the message of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King on the day set aside to honor his life – and his beliefs.

I have to tell you I was impressed with the people I met. I was welcomed with open arms by the Rev. Bayard Taylor of Calvary Baptist Church, who showed me a magazine detailing Dr. King’s stay as a young man at the very church were we stood.

John Linder, a professor from Delaware County Community College, was there. As was Jim Harper, one of the city’s key labor leaders. And Joe Henwood from CityTeam Ministries. And Butch Slaughter, who gave an impassioned interpretation of Dr. King’s message and how it should be put into practice today. Also in the audience, something I did not know until we were halfway through the program, was Dr. Gregory Thornton, the new superintendent of Chester Upland Schools.

About 50 people gathered to dissect King’s words and discuss how best to put them into action.

But what struck me about the day was something that several people pointed out.
We probably should not have been focusing on the people who were there, but rather the people who were not there.

As Slaughter pointed out, those are the people we need to reach. It’s time to do, not to talk.

He and Bill Nix, a community activist who acted as our moderator and who issued the invitation to me to take part, are doing mentoring work on Saturday mornings, going face to face with young men in Chester.

Slaughter made the point that the time to wait for others to help is over. It’s time to take action.

He made a compelling argument.

But here’s my question. Were we all preaching to the choir? The people gathered know the issuess and know the time demand ore than just talk.

But what about the people who weren’t there? That’s the challenge.

It’s to intervene in all those instances where King’s dream has disintegrated into a stark reality where 40 years later, not enough has changed.