The Gloucester Union Relief Association presented “A Day of Celebration: on Monday at The First United Baptist Church, Gloucester. Members of the community gathered to honor the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., under the theme “Making ‘The Dream’ Come True.”
The statement of purpose was given by the Rev. Larry Arrington. He began with the story of Moses.
“Moses led the Hebrew children through the Red Sea, where they arrived at the desert and there was no water. Moses then dropped a piece of wood in the water and it turned to sweet water,” said Arrington. “Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped the people of color go from no rights, no human rights, to civil rights and equal rights.”
The celebration speaker featured prominent cardiologist Dr. Keith H. Newby Sr. of Norfolk, introduced by David Washington, a member of the upcoming Gloucester High School Class of 2029. Newby’s speech was about overcoming adversity.
Newby said that Dr. King was a man who dedicated his life to fighting for a cause. The cause was equality, justice and human rights.
“Adversity is a part of life. How will you choose to deal with adversity? Will you fight for what’s worth fighting for like Dr. King did or will you run,” he asked.
Newby talked about the adversity he overcame. His father, who was also a doctor, passed away at the age of 41 from a rare cancer when the younger Newby was only 8 years old. He spoke about how that loss impacted him.
“When you are at a young age and you’re trying to learn how to be a man at a young age, that’s something that you have to figure out; what being a man is all about,” he said.
Newby attended Norfolk State University. He was into music and wanted to be a musician. That changed when he spent a summer at Norfolk Community Hospital. That experience made him lean towards a career in the medical field. He enjoyed his college life, but he realized that going into medicine is what he really wanted to do.
“That lightbulb went off and said that it’s time for you to get yourself together. Once I made my mind up, no one was going to stop me,” said Newby.
When he got into medical school, he didn’t have much. He had to use loans to help him get through medical school, but that didn’t matter to him, because being a cardiologist is what he really wanted to do and he spent that time honing his craft. Newby said that his mentor really helped him during the time.
When he was a first-year medical student, he wasn’t making that much. He had a wife and a child at the time and they had to survive on about $19,000, because that’s how much first-year students when he started. Through all of that, he is now a licensed cardiologist and he founded Fort Norfolk Cardiology Associates, which is his medical clinic in Norfolk.
At the end of his speech, he challenged everyone to do two things: to understand your health and keep God first in your life.
“Understand your health. We live shorter. We live 7-10 years shorter than any other race. Don’t ignore your health,” said Newby. “Part of the issue is that hypertension is significantly higher in African Americans because of our lifestyle. Be there for yourself and be there for your loved ones.”
At the end of the service, there was a question-and-answer period. A member of one of the local churches asked how he could get access to a defibrillator, because his church was in need of one. Newby said that he had one at his home that he was planning to donate and said that he would donate it to his church.
Other participants in Monday’s service included a prayer by Rev. Vincent Pryor, pastor of New Mount Zion Baptist Church and GURA president, a prayer by the Rev. E. Randolph Graham of the host church, several musical selections by the Gloucester Mathews Men’s chorus, and Sherleen Moody, who presented a video salute to Dr. King’s legacy.