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| Mt Zion Missionary Baptist Cburch hosted the 2026 Martin Luther King Day activities |
But let justice roll down like water
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream--AMOS 5:24 (NRSVUE)
(1/20/2026) The river metaphor used by the prophet Amos, and often quoted by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.--including in the Letter from a Birmingham Jail--served as a focusing image at Cedar Rapids' observance of the King's birthday holiday Monday at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church. The evening service was the first in our city since 2023, and had the theme "unified currents, flowing toward justice."
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| Gathering before the service |
The main address was given by Rev. Kimberly Abram-Bryant, a Cedar Rapids native now serving an African Methodist Episcopal Church in East Moline, Illinois, who noted "this year has a lot of old problems, packaged differently." She broke down the metaphor into three parts: the river, which is God's plan moving to abundant life for all; the streams, which are individuals who flow together to form the river; and dams, which block the flow and create floods in some areas and drought in others.
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| Rev. Kimberly Abram-Bryant |
The dams included those who actively block others' opportunities, including "right now, the White House" and the U.S.'s thuggish immigration enforcement (see Brook 2026 for the latest in a series of atrocities); systems (economic, educational, housing) where equal opportunity is denied; and those whose hearts are in the right place but who are inactive out of discouragement or apathy. We, she repeated, are going to have to create change "when silence would be safer." She concluded by asking: "Will we keep building dams or will we join the river?"
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| Alicia Monaé |
Music for the service was brilliantly provided by Alicia Monaé, who took Sam Cooke's "A Change is Going to Come," already a favorite, to a new level; and the Mosaic Choir from the middle school known as McKinley STEAM Academy, which sang James Weldon Johnson's soaring "Lift Every Voice and Sing." They were many, and mighty, but I did miss singing as a congregation.
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| King Day discussion tables |
Earlier in the day, several dozen of us gathered in the church's activity room to discuss issues and enjoy brunch prepared in the adjacent kitchen. We rotated among tables focused on economic development, housing, mental health, and social justice. At the mental health table, hosted by church pastor Dr. Ray Coleman and a woman named Sayde from the Nassif Cancer Care Center, we talked about the daily corrosive impact of discrimination, aggravated by relentless news reports. (One of us, a high school student, admitted to following the news closely, to the amazement of all.)
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| Rev Ray AL Coleman Jr (from Mt Zion MBC website) |
We discussed questions like Where do you go to find peace from stress? and How do you deal with depression and anxiety? These are important answers for everyone, but it seems unarguable that they are particularly critical for racial minorities who are conspicuous, outnumbered, and lacking in socio-economic power. We talked about individual methods (breathing exercises, prayer, Bible reading, exercise, journaling, "change the channel" on the news) as well as connecting with others (finding someone to go through it with you, having somewhere you don't need to "code switch"). This, I'm sure, affects blacks, Hispanics, and Asians differently than whites. I, for example, have only been the only white person in a room full of nonwhites twice in 66 years; part of that is because I live in Iowa, but for nonwhites this must be a regular occurrence.
Allowing that the hardest part of taking action is deciding what action to take, it is good, particularly in these times, to rededicate ourselves to the cause.
SEE ALSO:
"Music for Urbanists: Lift Every Voice and Sing," 20 January 2025
Heather Cox Richardson, "January 18, 2026," Letters from an American, 18 January 2026
Pete Saunders, "CSY Replay #39: Why Dr. King's Work Isn't Done," Corner Side Yard, 18 January 2026
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