Indivisible of East Hawaiʻi holding ‘Rebirth of Freedom’ rally on Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday

Indivisible of East Hawai’i is holding a “Rebirth of Freedom” rally in Hilo on Monday to celebrate Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday.

The event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on the oceanside of Kamehameha Avenue across from the King Kamehameha Statue. Parking is available in the paddler’s overflow lot. 

Indivisible of East Hawaiʻi is a newly created chapter of the national Indivisible.org network that was formed by the merger of Kea’au Indivisible, Volcanoes Indivisible and Hilo One.

Monday’s event celebrates the legacy of King, who led a broad coalition of civil rights groups, and pushed the House, Senate and President to pass The Civil Rights Act, The Voting Rights Act and the Fair Housing Act. King also pushed for the creation of Medicaid and Medicare.

Indivisible of East Hawai’i said in a press release “Rebirth of Freedom” comes from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in which he said:  “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Lincoln helped America to become a multi-cultural democracy. 

“Likewise, if we as a nation are to survive, we will need another ‘Rebirth of Freedom’ in 2029.  Whoever becomes President, there will be a lot of work to do, and a lot of it is covering the same ground as MLK did over 60 years ago. This time for ALL Americans,” the press release said.

Organizers asks for participants to bring pro-King signs, and the use of King’s own language.

In a Birmingham, Ala., jail, King said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice Everywhere.”

King also is known for saying: “Darkness can not drive out darkness; only the light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate; only love can do that.”

And he said: “The time is always right to do what is right.”