McMillan

OBSERVED

Lessons on leadership from Martin Luther King

BRIAN MCMILLAN

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

I listened to Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech with African-American Cultural Society President Joseph Matthews for the Jan. 15 edition of “Free for All Friday,” on WNZF. Here are three things I learned.

First, King said, in his immortal speech in 1963, that the freedom of whites is “inextricably bound” to the freedom of blacks. I believe that the same can be said about the health of our communities: If black families are in poverty, we are an impoverished community.

Matthews issued a forceful distress signal during the Jan. 15 show, saying that he simply wants black skin to no longer be seen as “inferior.” To think that something like that still has to be said in 2021 tells me that we have a lot of room to improve.

Despite many social advances, one statistic provides alarming evidence that much more progress is needed to give future generations greater opportunity: “In 1968, unmarried women were the main breadwinners for 20% of [black] households,” University of Florida professor Sharon Austin reported. “In recent years, the percentage has risen as high as 72%.”

The second lesson I learned from King’s speech is the power of righteousness. He knew he was on the right side of history, and he preached kindness along with change. Violence and vitriol only distract from righteous messages. If we ever think we have to be angry to get what we want — at home, at work, in government — I hope we can think again and follow King’s example.

Third, I learned that a true leader doesn’t only point out problems; a true leader also provides a vision. King’s vision was told in the form of a dream: “I have a dream that one day [...] little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”

The dream principle is essential for leadership of any kind. We need something to believe in. Such an approach helps us answer this question: Why is it worth making sacrifices to accomplish this task?

Finally, there is one thing we can all do when someone claims to be a victim of racial injustice: Believe him. Try to understand.

Email editor@palmcoastobserver.com.

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after the county contacted individuals on its 6,000-name call back list, as well as more than 100 people whose appointments for Jan. 11 had been canceled,” the Florida Department of HealthFlagler announced on Jan. 19. “The balance of appointments were filled seven minutes after county sent out a text message to its FLAGLERCOVID subscribers.”

Officer Bob Snyder said on Flagler Broadcasting’s “Free For All Friday” radio program Jan. 15 that another shipment is expected to arrive on Friday, Jan. 22, containing second doses for people who’ve already received their initial dose. Those will be available to Florida residents who received their first dose in Flagler County, even if they live in a different Florida county.

At this time, only people 65 and older and healthcare workers are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines in Florida.

Studies are showing that the first dose of the Moderna vaccine — the one that’s been distributed in Flagler — provides significant protection, DOH-Flagler Medical Director Dr. Stephen Bickel said, citing a recent study of 1,000 people.

“They found that starting at 14 days after the first shot, there were almost no cases before the second shot,” he said. “... That’s true, actually, with booster vaccines in general; usually there’s a level of protection with the first and then you get kind of turbocharged with the second dose.”

There are approximately

HOW TO GET VACCINATION INFORMATION

Go to www.flaglercounty.org and click on the COVID-19 link on the upper lefthand corner of the webpage, or go directly to www.flaglercounty.org/emergency_information/emergency_management/covid-19/index.php.

Sign up for COVID-19-related text alerts by texting FLAGLERCOVID (a single word) to the number 888777.

To be added to the callback list, call 386-3134200 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To check availability for Publix’s vaccine appointments, go to https://www. publix.com/covid-vaccine/ florida.

36,000 people over the age of 65 in Flagler County.

Meanwhile, Snyder said, a state appointment program is expected to become operational within a month, and local Publix stores are receiving allotments of vaccine weekly and setting appointments for people 65 and older.

And although demand for the existing Moderna and Pfizer vaccines currently far outstrips the supply, that will likely change as Johnson & Johnson and Astra Zeneca come out with their own vaccines in coming weeks, Bickel said.

“We’re going to go from rags to riches,” he said.

Once that happens, Snyder said, the health department will transition from its focus on testing and contact tracing to a focus on vaccination, sending teams of nurses out to vaccinate residents at sites around the community at a rate of about 1,000 people per day.

But Snyder and Bickel warned residents to remain cautious in the meantime, as the virus surges.

“Until these numbers start coming down, people need to be just hyper-vigilant,” Bickel said. “ ... People are getting more desensitized to it, but there’s just a ton of cases.”

Photo by Brian McMillan Community Paramedic Caryn Prather speaks to a resident at Flagler County’s COVID-19 vaccination site at the county fairgrounds.

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