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For U.S. Senator Cory Booker, the civil rights movement has come a long way since Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom over 50 years ago — but it still has a long way to go.

Booker delivered a keynote address in front of a full congregation of about 400 people Monday, the national holiday that commemorates King’s birthday, in Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church in Asbury Park. King would have been 85 years old on Jan 15.

In the speech, which garnered several laughs and rounds of applause before culminating in a standing ovation, Booker praised and honored the memory of King, the achievements he helped attain in the civil rights movement, and of the power of knowing one’s roots. At the same time, he cautioned the audience not be so satisfied with the outcomes of King’s achievements that they fail to continue on fighting for the realization of the famed civil rights leader’s ultimate vision of absolute equality for all citizens, regardless of their race.

“It is not time to rest on our laurels,” he said. “It is not time to forget.”

There is much to be done in the fight for racial equality in New Jersey, according to Booker, who said African Americans make up 14 percent of the total population yet they account for account 60 percent of the prison population, and a black person who is caught in possession of marijuana is likely to receive a sentence 10 times more harsh than a white person. This failure of the war on drugs in America is “chewing up the promise of the future,” he said.

Booker also said the state is losing ground in the fight for women’s rights and that he hoped that the vast majority of the population does not fall into what he termed a “sedentary agitation.”

According to Booker, more harm will be done to the fight for equality “not in the actions of the bad, but in the silence of the good,” he said. “The question is not ‘What is the problem?’ but ‘How can I be a part of the solution?”

The National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Inc. organized the event. For the past 27 years, the Central Jersey Club has hosted a community celebration ceremony to honor King’s legacy, said Brenda Sheree Terrell Walker, publicity chairperson for the club.

The national organization marked their fiftieth anniversary this year. The club was established just after King led the historic March on Washington, according to Central Jersey Club President Denise Hawkins. In connection with the anniversary, the theme of the event was “A Call to Unity: 50 Years of Triumphs and Tragedies.”

The organization seeks to promote and protect the interest professional businesswomen, advise young people who express interest in careers in business, improve the quality of life in local communities, and foster good fellowship, according to their website.

Booker’s godmother, the late Bessie Thorton, was a Long Branch resident and member of the organization. When Hawkins reached out to ask the senator of he would give the keynote speech for the occasion, she said he “got right on board.”

Booker remembered Thorton as a woman of service who embodied what true, humble heroism was all about, he said in the address.

“It is local organizations that help to develop society,” he said.

Hawkins largely agreed with Booker’s view that for as far as the Civil Right’s Act brought change to American society, there is still a long way to go before King’s dream comes true.

“It’s still in full force, but you have to remember, in a lot of areas we are regressing instead of improving,” said Hawkins, “we have a lot of ground to make up for as individuals.”

Education, parents’ supervision of their children and community support for area children are a few of the topics that need to improve, she said.

For today’s youth, education is the largest determinant of their success and future prospects, according to Booker.

The Central Jersey Club has partnered with the local Boys and Girls Clubs of Monmouth County to offer tutoring services in the past and has a youth program of its own where the focus is on leadership development, according to Laria Hamilton, who heads up the club’s youth program.

[Click here to see a Sun Facebook photo album of the event.]

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