[Virginia] Speaker urges audience to help reduce poverty

From The Roanokr Times

The Rev. Samuel Kyles, a civil rights leader since the time of Martin Luther King Jr., told his listeners Saturday afternoon to "knock holes in the darkness of poverty."

By Jen McCaffery

MARTINSVILLE -- Reporters often ask the Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles what they talked about in a Memphis, Tenn., hotel room the hour before Martin Luther King Jr. was shot.

Kyles, who came to a small church in Martinsville this past week to speak as part of a poverty conference, said the "three preachers in the room" -- King, Kyles and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy -- just talked "preacher talk."

"It's almost as if the world wanted me to say something deep and philosophical about the last hour," Kyles said of the evening of April 4, 1968. "But we had no way of knowing it would be the last hour."

Yet Kyles also recalled that King mentioned the threats that he faced during a speech the night before on behalf of striking sanitation workers.

"I may not get there with you, but you will get to the Promised Land," Kyles said King told the crowd.

Kyles reflected on both darkness and light as part of his address during a worship service Saturday afternoon at Morning Star Holy Church.

Kyles, a civil rights leader who has been pastor of Monumental Baptist Church in Memphis, Tenn., since 1959, invoked a Robert Louis Stevenson story and urged people to "knock holes in the darkness of poverty."

His talk as part of the "One Spirit. One Will. Zero Poverty." conference before about 35 people ranged from the slave trade to Condoleezza Rice's role as secretary of state to the last moments of King's life.

The conference was sponsored by Bread for the World, a Christian faith-based organization that is working to urge world leaders to make good on their promises to provide aid to the poor and hungry.

The organization is spearheading a letter-writing campaign to members of Congress. The organization is seeking the allocation of funds to combat poverty, as envisioned in the Millennium Development Goals adopted by 189 nations, including the United States.

The aim of the campaign is to allocate an additional 1 percent of the federal budget to development assistance to combat poverty by 2010.

Saturday afternoon, conference participants wrote letters to U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Rocky Mount, and Republican U.S. Sen. George Allen.

Elise Young, a regional organizer for Bread for the World, said Goode and Allen are in a position to influence aid as they serve on appropriations and foreign relations committees, respectively.

"The primary focus of the letters is to encourage Congressman Goode and the rest to help the country live up to its pledge," said the Rev. Tyler Millner, second pastor of Morning Star Holy Church.

About 20 pastors from churches from Roanoke to Halifax gathered for a round table with Kyles on Friday night, Young said. Several returned Saturday to hear him speak.

Kyles spoke to a small audience containing members that ranged from 18 months old to age 97.

He talked about his African ancestors who survived the passage to America.

"I owe it my ancestors to let my life shine," Kyles said.

But he also pointed out how far blacks have come, referring to Rice.

"I don't care what party she's in -- she's secretary of state!" Kyles said.

However, Kyles also emphasized that the United States still has its problems.

"Greed has taken over this wonderful country in which we live," Kyles said.

But he also pointed out during his speech that change can happen.

Referring back to King, Kyles said:

"A country preacher and people of good will turned the world upside down -- and never fired a shot."