A transcript of Mr. Williams' speech given at Novi High School in February 2008

It is indeed a pleasure to speak before you today.  It is even more of an honor as I am here to speak about a man who changed the way we live, think and act towards each other.

Today is especially memorable in that this marks the 40th year since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.  It is actually more years than he lived.  He was killed at age 39.  So what is it that makes us all know him and remember his voice?  There are family members who have passed away and we have forgotten what their voices sound like, but not Dr. King Jr.  One would have to ask, was it his voice or his message that has stood the test of time.  Well, this is easy to answer as his voice was the way he delivered a message that will last a lifetime.  His message was one of change and belief in each other.  Change is what gives us hope, and belief is what gives us tools to make change possible.  Perhaps this is what he meant when he said "my living will not be in vain."

I want my living to make a positive difference as well.  I do not have the vision of Dr. King, Jr., nor would I ever compare myself to him, but his level of commitment for change truly could not be any higher than mine.  I want to see children in safe and loving homes.  I want to see a person be judged by the strength of their character and not the color of their skin.  I want the world to be better because we have a duty to do so.  When I make a mistake I pray for forgiveness and that I never make it again.  I just want to be the best human being I can be and need each of you to help me to be better.

I thought a lot about this event.  What came to me was the power of "U".  The title of the event is Unity in the Community.  The word Unity starts with the letter "U".  It is a letter that begins a number of important words, like united, uniform, unconditional, universe, up and many other positive words.  For the sake of this discussion, let's look at "U".  It is a letter between T and V, but is so vital to our future.  It also is the only thing you hear when you say the word "YOU".  Webster must have given this some thought.  In life there are many obstacles in front of us and we cannot let them stop us from achieving our goal.  Webster put a Y and an O in front of U and it still came out as "U".  Perhaps this shows that you should not let some of the challenges before you stop you from being you.  Also, let's look at another circumstance that can deter us: When you face the obstacles and ups and downs of life, how do you build?  Well, as I think about the letter that is up and down, curvy, in and out, I think of the letter "S".  So what happens when you combine the ups and downs, achievement of obstacles and experiences to the letter "U".  Together U and S create a solution to the problem and it is up to "US".  Perhaps this is what Dr. King Jr. meant--that it is up to YOU (U) to work things out (S) and to do it collectively, to make the world a better place, it is up to "US".

WE know at Orchards Children's Services that it is up to "US" to make the world a better place and we need YOU to help.  Peace.