As in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s last speech, he foresaw a day that regardless of his own ability to make the journey, he propheszied a day when his people would eventually make it to a place that he mentioned in his last speech, called 'The Promised Land' .
Well, on Tuesday, Feb.22, 2011, his premonition came true for the first time, when his nephew, Mr. Isaac Newton Farris Jr., C.E.O. and President of 'The Martin Luther King Jr. Center , came to Anderson Livsey Elementary School to make an exciting Black History speech .
The Georgia school , located in Gwinnett County is built on an old historic Civil War plantation , named after a place his uncle mentioned in his last public speech..." The Promised Land!"
The Promised Land, located 25 miles north of Atlanta, Ga, is the oldest Gwinnett County plantation that survived Union General Sherman's, 'March To The Sea', at the end of the war between the states. A daily farm journal was kept by the thousand acre plantation owner named Thomas Maguire .
The diary depicted the day and the life of Georgia civilians who lived in the outskirt towns of Atlanta before, during and after secession of the southern states in 1861.
In the early 1920's the plantation was bought by Robert Livsey, a black man. Shortly afterward, Marget Mitchell , an author made frequent visits to his property, while researching her now famous novel, "Gone With The Wind" .
Mr.Isaac Newton Farris graciously took time out of his extremely busy schedule to come to the Snellville school to speak to another generation of potential world leaders.
He was greeted like a rock star by the students, parents, and the faculty alike. His speech is surely to be a lifelong memory to all in attendance.
He gave an appropriate speech, then lent himself to take questions from the eager student assembly. The students had a full array of well thought out questions.
Surprisingly, one of the students, who had written a personal poem about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was acknowledged, and he was given a business card by Mr. Farris, so that his poem would be given consideration for inclusion, at the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The student assembly went hog wild with applause.
Although the speech that he gave was so inspiring, it was his future challenging message to the youth, that really elevated them, when he urged each and everyone of them personally.
He said, "Anyone of you can be a leader...all you have to do is do the right thing, even when no one is around". Mr. Farris last word of encouragement and advice was simply, "Stay in school" !
Two of the family members for which Anderson Livsey Elementary School was named spoke a few words of their history, along with a few words of encouragement.
Mrs. Karen Anderson Archer and Tom Livsey brought the program home, by sharing their families involvement in the local history of two plantations that made up the Civil War Promised Land Plantations, where the school is built on today.
They also shared their family's year and a half fight with Gwinnett County Borad Of Education, to get the new school renamed from Snell Elementary to Anderson Livsey Elementary , in memory of their grandfathers... Mr. Thomas Mitchell Anderson and Mr. Robert(Bob) Livsey .
Please leave a comment about Black History, and make sure to click on the link below. Its Dr. King's last speech. He mentions the Promised Land.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0FiCxZKuv8
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// iReport —
By Twomucht,
Topix National News Editor,