Nephew of Dr. King and local Civil Rights legend take to the roads of La. to encourage voting

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

The former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the nephew of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will embark on a multi-city tour in Louisiana, starting October 8, to encourage all to “GO VOTE.”

The Reverend Byron Clay, who is based in Kenner and headed the SCLC from 2009-10, and Dr. Derek King will embark on a week-long tour, speaking to groups in Amite, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Houma and Lafayette, then back to the Greater New Orleans Area.

“As you know, our nation is in serious trouble, and this is the most important presidential election in our lifetime. Rev. Derek King, who is the nephew of Martin Luther King Jr., and myself will be traveling around Louisiana, encouraging voters to go out and vote early,” Clay explained to The Louisiana Weekly.

“Number one,” he continued, “we want to make sure that everyone knows – for certain – that they are registered to vote, and their name is still on the voting list. Number two, we are encouraging families to come together and to pray on October 16 (the first day of early voting), and go out as a family unit, and go to their local voter registration polling place. And, go and vote as a family.”

“But, we are also encouraging them to bring a mask, to practice social distance, to bring a bottle of water, some snack, or lunch, but stay in line. Stay put. Go vote in this election.

“The third thing that we’re looking to do is to organize ministers and community leaders to have an early morning prayer, to be an example in leadership, and then to vote together as a faith based people – who love democracy, who love God, who love this country. And by all means, do go by peace, in love, and in prayer. That will be our message as we go around the state, to make sure people go out and vote. Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t be intimidated by anyone or anything.”

The Rev. Clay, who has witnessed the modern civil rights movement from its earliest days, has a message for those how say that “my vote doesn’t count; why bother.” As he explained, “From a little boy, from the age of 12, I worked with Ralph Abernathy. At the age of 14, I began working and serving with John Lewis, Coretta [Scott] King, Martin Luther King, and other giants in the Civil Right Movement. As a boy, my father’s home was shot at. Crosses were burned on our lawn. My father’s house was bombed. I was 11 years old. I was the only one in the house. And I barely escaped the bombing by one minute. So, I meet young people. I talk with them almost everyday when I travel. And, I hear them – over and over again – say ‘no, I’m not registered.’ ‘No, I’m not worried about that.’”

The Rev. Clay regularly counters, “You need to register. You need to go and vote. There are people who died; there are people who suffered; so that you might have this precious right to vote.”

The speaking tour will begin in Amite at 4 p.m. on October 8 at a location to be announced. It will be closely followed by a visit to Mt. Vernon Baptist Church at 6 p.m. in Hammond. On Friday, October 9 at 11 a.m., the Revs. Clay and King will be in the parking lot between the Race-Trac and Dollar General stores in LaPlace. They will then address a crowd at the NAACP office in Houma at 4 p.m. Saturday, October 10 at 11 a.m., they will speak before the MLK Statue in New Orleans, and then go to the Friendship Baptist Church at 2 p.m. Further visits to Baton Rouge and Lafayette are scheduled for the remaining days of Dr. King’s visit.

For those locations or any further information, call the Rev. Byron Clay at (504) 782-9196. Early voting runs from Oct. 16-27, with the election on November 3, 2020. Take the opportunity, he says, to “GO VOTE!”

This article originally published in the October 5, 2020 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.