Those that touch our lives… stay in our hearts forever.
To touch one life is meaningful, and to touch the lives of many is genuinely impactful, but to impact the development of an entire nation is truly monumental.
Especially when it is in the name of forward growth and social Freedom.
January 15th marks an important day of remembrance for both Belizeans and American citizens since it is set aside to remember George Cadle Price, our father of independence and Martin Luther King Jr.
Father of social and racial equality.
George Cadle Price
He was born on January 15th, 1919, in Belize City, which at the time was British Honduras, a Colony of Great Britain. He had eight sisters and two brothers. He received his early education at Holy Redeemer Primary School and St. John’s College High School.
He enrolled at a Jesuit school where he learned about Catholic Social Justice teachings. After graduation, young Price felt called to the priesthood and studied abroad, first at Saint Augustine’s Minor Seminary in Mississippi, USA, and later at the Mayor Seminario in Guatemala City.
In 1947, he entered the world of politics, and in 1949, when the British Honduran dollar was devaluated, he was a key player in forming the People’s Committee. On September 29th, 1950, he formed one of Belize’s Political Parties alongside other engaging and visionary individuals.
In 1957, George Price became a party leader. From 1961 to 1964, he held the post of first minister and led a team that began negotiations on independence with the United Kingdom.
In 1981, Belize became an Independent nation, and George Price served as the country’s first Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs until 1984. After serving his country for 19 years, he resigned as party leader.
He received Belize’s highest honour, the Order of the National Hero, and in 2011, he passed away. He is remembered annually on George Price Day for his dedication to Belize’s freedom from colonialism and entry onto the world stage.
Martin Luther King Jr.
He was born on January 15th, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, to a comfortable middle-class family with deep roots in the tradition of the Southern Black Ministry. At the age of 15, Martin entered Morehouse College in Atlanta. Still, before attending College, he spent the summer on a tobacco farm in Connecticut, where he experienced for the first time what it was to live in a society free of segregation.
After 1955, King’s life started to gain momentum in the socio-political movement. This was spiked when Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white passenger. He organized the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, giving him a base of operation throughout the South, where he spoke about race-related issues with religious and civil rights leaders.
In 1960, he and his family moved back to Atlanta, where he reconnected with his roots in the Ebenezer Baptist Church. In this same year, he was arrested, but charges were dropped; however, he was still sentenced to Reidsville State Prison Farm on claims that he had violated his probation on a minor traffic offense committed several months earlier. This sparked a nationwide interest, and even John F. Kennedy, a presidential candidate at the time, got involved. Kennedy requested for King to be released.
His famous “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered on August 28th, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Park in Washington D.C. A year later, he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
In 1968, he famously said, “I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land.”
He was shot while standing on the second-story balcony of the Lorraine Motel; a sniper’s bullet ended his life. His killing sparked riots and disturbances in over 100 cities across the United States.
January 15th: Remembering Two Leaders
Both George Cadle Price and Martin Luther King Jr. represent the essence of one of humanity’s primary goals: Freedom. Both men touched the lives of multitudes and their efforts created changes that redefined how we live together today.