St. Thomas Senator Leads The Community In Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Day 2019

CHARLOTTE AMALIE — Senator Marvin Blyden said he joins the Virgin Islands community in celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, urging all Virgin Islanders to live by the principles Dr. King embodied.

“At a time when so many people, from young men on our streets to officials at the highest levels of the federal government, have decided to embrace conflict rather than cooperation, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is more important than ever before,” Blyden said. “In the words of Dr. King, ‘we must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.’ As we create a new beginning in so many ways, let us all reflect on the truth of these words and pledge to work together to bring about the change we want to see. Let us also pledge to settle our differences civilly and peacefully, as brothers and sisters. We must build each other up so that we can all move forward.” 

Senator Blyden said he encourages all Virgin Islanders to engage in acts of service to commemorate this national hero.

He also invited the community to participate in the various events taking place this weekend.

Martin Luther King Day will be celebrated Monday January 21, 2019.

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.