Jan. 31, 2013
For Immediate Release
Dr. C.B. Akins, Sr., pastor of First Baptist Church Bracktown in Lexington, Ky., spoke on the importance of education closing the gaps between blacks and whites at a recent Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Service at Campbellsville University. (Campbellsville University Photo by Rachel DeCoursey)
By Samantha Stevenson, student news writer
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — “As good as this country is, it can be better,” Dr. C.B. Akins said in the recent Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial service sponsored by Campbellsville University and Greater Campbellsville United.
Akins, a native of Brass Springs, Tenn., and current pastor of First Baptist Church Bracktown in Lexington Ky., delivered a message surrounding the passage found in Deuteronomy 34: “Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land … Then the Lord said to him, ‘This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.’”
To this, Akins said “Don’t show me what I can’t have.”
He recalls the poem “On the Pulse of Morning,” written and recited by Maya Angelou at the inauguration ceremony for President Bill Clinton.
He said, “One line stands out from the rest, one that captures the agony and aspirations of African-American’s pain in past and present possibilities of the future: ‘We arrived on a nightmare praying for a dream.’”
Akins told the African-American community to be wary of the government and their attempts to say that the gap between whites and blacks has been narrowed.
He presented a list of statistics suggesting otherwise: “Black households earn an average $6,000 less than a white house with the same job and same education level. In 1920, only 4 percent of blacks had a secondary education. That number is today is only 22 percent.”
He said education is the cornerstone in his plan for closing the gap between blacks and whites. He also challenged his listeners to “not be a passerby in the fight for equality.” Instead of being inactive, he said the African-American community take action and get involved in the community, city, state, regional or national level leadership positions.
He commended Campbellsville University for the work being done to create an equal and diverse environment where students can flourish and where racial barriers can be broken.
He specifically cited the efforts of Dr. Michael V. Carter, president of Campbellsville University, and the administration to build a global community of learners and Christian family.
He reminded the audience a pearl cannot form unless the oyster is irritated by the sand, meaning that change cannot take place without some irritation and frustration stirring from within.
Akins is hopeful because of the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He said, “The Promised Land is not far off if we begin to see each other as equals under God. Moses appeared on top of another mountain, one with Elijah and Jesus Christ. He made it to the Promised Land! Jesus taught us how to wait on God, so I will wait on God until my cup runneth over.”
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master’s degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.