Society member Janet Glass wrote this letter to fellow member Dwight Panozzo about his donation to our Society of a bust of Martin Luther King Jr.
“On behalf of the Being White and Its Hidden Assumptions workshop planning group at the Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County, I thank you for the unsolicited donation of a bust of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to our meetinghouse.
Although King is best known for his religious fervor in the fight against racial injustice, his interests went further. He was fiercely protective of workers rights. He was against the evils and abuses of capitalism, colonialism, materialism, poverty and militarism. He thought a great deal about the structure of the economy, and he
self-identified as a democratic socialist. He was a deep thinker, strong writer and powerful orator, and we are delighted by your thoughtful generosity to honor Dr. King in our building. As the 50-year anniversary of MLK’s assassination just passed, I believe his image will send a signal to our congregation and to our visitors reminding us what social justice ideals we stand for and how much more there is to do.”
Unveiling of bust of Martin Luther King Jr., donated by Dwight Panozzo, right, at the April 2018 meeting of the Society’s Being White and Its Hidden Assumptions workshop.
Photos by Eric Sandhusen and Linda Bennett