BY MARK J. CRAWFORD
Taking inspiration from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of nonviolent change, the theme for the Concerned Citizens of Bradford County’s annual service honoring his legacy was “Building Community, Uniting a Nation the Nonviolent Way.
Presider Glenda Ruise opened the service quoting King’s words, saying, “There comes a time when we must take a position that’s neither safe nor political nor popular, but we must take it because our conscience tells us it is right.”
Our conscience should be our guide, not our political affiliations, should be how we make our decisions, she said.
In unity, the smaller crowd that braved the cold to be at the county conference center Monday, sang “Lift Every Voice and Sing” before pledging allegiance to the flag.
Speaker D’on Jeffers of Santa Fe College opened her talk with scripture from Romans, saying, “Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
“Our nation is increasingly being divided. Every single day you hear something on the news, something in the community, something in the society where we are being drawn further and further apart. We have a division in our homes, we have division in schools, and it brings division into our community. They’re all interchangeable, and they’re all connected,” she said.
It doesn’t matter if people are divided over race, wealth, religion; that is all the same as well, Jeffers said. Something they all have in common is they lead to violence in every aspect: violent words, deeds, policies. One thing she is sure to control with her Upward Bound students is verbal violence — language that humiliates, threatens or dehumanizes someone else.
“In my program, we don’t say shut up, and we don’t say anything that will tear down another person. We build each other up, and we foster a community or an atmosphere or a program where we are together and we stand together with each other,” she said.
Jeffers set the record straight about nonviolence, saying it is not weakness.
“It’s actually discipline, and it’s strength, and it’s moral courage. It takes intentionality to be nonviolent,” she said. “We have to teach people that just because you feel it doesn’t mean that you’re justified to do it. History proves that communities can change when ordinary people choose extraordinary compassion.”
King was an example of an ordinary man who chose extraordinary compassion, she said.
Going back to Romans, Jeffers read, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God.”
“There is a strategy for confronting wrong without becoming wrong ourselves,” she said. “It’s okay to confront wrong and to voice that something is wrong in the community, there’s something wrong in the schools, there’s something wrong with the way that we’re doing things, but it’s not okay to become wrong ourselves with no regard to others whatsoever.”
Emotional control is necessary to prevent violence, she said. It’s OK not to argue with a fool. You don’t have to prove a point. It’s OK to be on opposite sides of an issue. It’s OK to be different.
“Matthew 5:9. ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.’ He didn’t say blessed are the people who have peace. He said blessed are the peacemakers, meaning you are the person who’s creating peace.”
Another thing people have twisted about building community, Jeffers said, is about resolving conflict. People must be in relationship to reach a resolution.
“So, we’re going to come to a table try to have a meeting and resolve what when I don’t even know you? I don’t care to know you as a person? So, you have to have a relationship before you can come to a resolution. You must be seen before you can enact change. If you’re not seen and heard, you won’t be able to enact change,” she said.
If the nation is going to be united through nonviolent action, Jeffers said people must learn to speak truth with love.
“Upward Bound knows. I preach at them all the time, and I always tell them at the end, ‘I do this because I love you, and if there’s anything that I ever see that will be of a hindrance to you or who you are called to be in the future, I’m going to say it in love, because I’m a mama first, and I’m going to say it in love so you can be the person that God has called you to be.’”
This approach applies to speaking out and protesting, she said. She referenced the murder of Charlie Kirk and the reaction, even rejoicing, about someone who had been taken from his family. They seemed to think it was justified because of his politics.
“That’s not how God sees it, because if God sees it, if God gives us judgment, we should all pay the price that Jesus paid. Because none of us are right, none of us are justified, but God gives us grace,” she said. “We have to be careful with our words. We have to be careful with our actions. We have to be careful and be mindful of how we make people feel. Take personal responsibility.”
Nations change when people change, she said. “Ask yourself, am I contributing to peace, or am I contributing to discord? … Choose to be a bridge instead of a barrier.”
In closing, Jeffers asked everyone to commit to practicing nonviolence, listening before responding, serving someone different than you, addressing conflict with dignity.
Honorees
Ruise shared that the 2026 MLK Drum Major honorees Ceolar Hudson and Scott Roberts had been honored at a banquet over the weekend. Hudson has spent her 100 years giving to the community, including her many lessons learned. Roberts’ success in business has used to support the community, and she said they are appreciative of his partnership.
Youth success
Appreciation was also expressed to Bradford High Principal Chris Coffey, who took the podium to say that Dr. King believed the future of education was in teaching one to think intensively and critically.
“That’s something that we try to do each and every day at Bradford High School,” he said. “In our mission statement, we talk about empowering our students to become lifelong learners in a very diverse global community. We try to remind them of or have them think about, what are the jobs, the careers, the schools you want to get into, the businesses you want to open one day. And to picture those and to understand that you are not just competing with the students sitting around you in class, but you’re competing with students across the state of Florida, across the entire United States and beyond for all of those opportunities. So, it’s important to take their education seriously.”
Student performance at BHS set records last year. Ninth and 10th grade showed the highest growth in English performance in the state. Geometry students had the second highest growth, and algebra students had the third highest growth. Those students along with the biology students had the highest test scores in the school’s history, leading to the highest school grade in history. That contributed to the school district receiving its highest ever grade.
They are doing more to prepare students for life through college and career readiness course that incorporates financial literacy, Coffey said. And now entering its third year, the school’s Cambridge program is allowing students to earn college credit on campus. The 136 credits earned amounts to nearly $100,000 in college tuition savings. Cambridge diplomas are also helping more students achieve Bright Future Scholarships.
Coffey bragged about the school’s band and sports programs as well. He also asked for family support, saying families are stretched thin and that can deprioritize education.
“Support our families and keep our teachers, staff and students in your prayers each and every day. Dr. King believed that real greatness comes not from what we achieve alone, but how we lift others along the way,” he said, adding that’s what they try to do at BHS every day.
