The Statesboro community celebrated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Tuesday night with singing, eating and hearing local civil rights attorney Francys Johnson speak.

“Now that he is safely dead, let us praise him,” Johnson said, calling King “the most hated man in America” for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement.

“God wants you to love your neighbor as much as you love yourself,” said Johnson. He continued honoring MLK by telling the New Testaments story of Jesus of Nazareth.

Johnson brought up issues surrounding gun violence, racism, greed, militarism and excessive materialism. 

“There are more guns in total than every man, woman, boy and girl in this country. That’s a shame,” Johnson said. “What is more than a shame is the gross reality that each day 8 children will be killed by gun violence in this country.”

Johnson stated that a quarter of children in America would go to bed hungry after the guests ate their free meal provided by GS. “Budgets are a real reflection of what institutions value,” he adds. “We spend more on the flowers, spend more maintaining the roses than we do taking care of that mission.”

Johnson leaves the guests with inspirational words about difficult choices and uneasy realizations.

“So many committees, so many plans, but no real commitment to do anything.”