SVMLK Memorial Prayer Gathering brings message of love and sacrifice
Annual scholarship fundraiser explores ‘Building a Beloved Community’
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 7, 2023
The road to a caring and compassionate society is not only long, but often seems filled with insurmountable obstacles, but the 33rd Annual Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Gathering, Feb. 4, highlighted a simple route.
“The ultimate key to building a beloved community is a word in the middle of the word—it’s love,” keynote speaker Rev. Scott Burgess told attendees seated in the sanctuary of Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. “Because of love, King lived to tell us, and because of love, he died to show us. Hate may have pulled the trigger, but love put him in the crosshairs.”
In that way, the Mt. Zion Mission Baptist Executive Associate Minister continued, the Civil Rights leader established sacrifice as the foundation on which to build a better future.
“The idea of a beloved community was ingrained in his heart; he knew hate could not be a part of it…” Burgess said. “Darkness can not drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate can not drive out hate, only love can do that.”
That message underscored the theme of the annual prayer gathering, which returned to its longstanding in-person format this year, following two years of virtual assemblies. Organized by the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Corp., a Black Mountain-based nonprofit organization established in 1994, the annual fundraiser has granted hundreds of scholarships to graduates of Owen and Buncombe Community High Schools.
The gathering included a proclamation by Black Mountain Vice Mayor Archie Pertiller, Jr. and performances by the Community Choir, which was comprised of members of three area church choirs.
SVMLK Memorial Corp. Board of Directors President Shelia Showers welcomed the audience to the Presbyterian Church, which hosted the event for the first time. Previously organized as a breakfast, the gathering had been hosted primarily at Camp Dorothy Walls since 2009.
Its debut in the center of town was supported by contributions of more than 100 local businesses and individual donors.
“The students are grateful for all the benefactors, patrons, the many area businesses who advertised and our gracious sponsors,” Showers said.
A highlight of the gathering came with the announcement of an anonymous donation of $50,000, which will fund an additional scholarship specifically for Black students in the Owen District. While the individual benefactor kept their identity private, SVMLK Board Member Eileen Shea shared the story of William Roy Prather, a 13-year-old Black child who was killed in a small Mississippi town in 1959, which inspired the gift.
Prather was walking home from a church event on Halloween when one of eight white teenagers in a passing pickup truck opened fire. The child died from his wounds the following morning, and eight subjects were initially arrested and charged with murder in the days after the shooting. However, a grand jury returned charges of manslaughter for one and recommended leniency, according to a Department of Justice report, resulting in less than a year in prison.
The lone adult in the truck was never prosecuted, while six of the passengers were certified to juvenile court.
“Our anonymous donor lived in that little town, and as a very young man he felt trauma from that event,” Shea said. “He felt trauma because nobody was ever held accountable. That stuck with this donor, and when George Floyd died, he felt he must do something.”
The donation establishes what is tentatively called the “Say Their Name” scholarship and honors those whose lives were cut short before they could contribute to achieving King’s dream, Shea continued, but the gift was accompanied a challenge to the community.
“In order to do this in a way we can continue to grant a large scholarship to someone, we need more funding,” she said. “Our donor has asked that we place this challenge in front of the community.”
While the SVMLK Prayer Gathering celebrated a new scholarship, it also welcomed previous recipients of its existing one. Bailey Mundy, a first-year student at Western Carolina University who received support from the nonprofit last year, credited the funding for allowing her to focus on academics.
“I take 18 hours of classes, and I’m also involved in campus outreach, club tennis and I’m currently a math club leader at the local elementary school. So, as you may imagine, I’m pretty busy,” said Mundy, the valedictorian of the Owen High School Class of 2022. “That’s prevented me from being able to get a job, so money is tight right now. This scholarship is helping me obtain an education without the financial burden.”
Tiarra Lytle, who will graduate from East Carolina University this fall, expressed gratitude for each member of the SVMLK Memorial Corp. board.
“They have supported me every step of the way and helped me more than I can put into words,” she said. “This scholarship helps so many youth in so many different ways, and I’m proud to say I am one of those youths.”
For more information on the SVMLK Memorial Corp. visit svmlk.org.
Photos of the Swannanoa Valley Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Prayer Gathering can be viewed in the gallery at the top of the page.