It was a "day

on" instead of a "day off" for more than 500 Fayette countians

Monday who participated in the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday celebration

at Starr's Mill High School.

Sponsored by

the Fayette County Branch of the NAACP, Peachtree City and the Fayette

County schools, the second annual observance was a collaborative effort

focused around a three-word theme: "Remember, Celebrate, Act."

The Rev. Edward

J. Johnson, president of the local NAACP, called on those assembled in

honor of King to remember the past, to celebrate life and act to "raise

the level of consciousness," and "get past complacency and move

toward activism."

Terrell Slayton,

assistant secretary of State, spoke with candor, humor and conviction

about King, Georgia's place in the history of the civil rights movement

and the recent election debacle. "Ninety five thousand [voters] went

to polls for president, but it did not count," Slayton said. An investigation

revealed that malfunctioning voting machines caused two out of 100 votes

cast by whites to go uncounted, he said, while 10 out of 100 votes cast

Slayton promised

to submit a "package of bills to this year's General Assembly to

bring common electronic voting equipment into the state."

He urged those

in attendance to ask themselves the rhetorical question, "What am

I doing for my fellow man?"

"Choose

community over chaos," he added. Slayton selected a portion of an

editorial written by Martin Luther King III, King's eldest son and president

of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to conclude his words.

"Now we

must inspire a new generation to carry the torch of leadership into the

future to build a nation worthy of our greatest dreams."

"Today

in Peachtree City, you've begun that process," Slayton said. "My

heart is warm. I know we're in good hands with the quality of leadership

shown here today. Make today a day on, not a day off."

Other speakers

included Jamila Rivers, a student at Sandy Creek High School, president

of the NAACP Youth Council and daughter of Carolyn and Nelson Rivers,

who referred to King's role as "drum major" to get involved,

and "be up front wherever you need to be."

Fayette County

School Superintendent Dr. John DeCotis told what Martin Luther King mean

to him as an educational leader. "I learned to live up to the ideals

of our nation's creed... that diversity is our strength... that each one

of us is important to our church, our community and our family... that

education is a tool to a better life."

The two-hour

observance was punctuated with music performed by the Prophetic Voices

of Praise from St. John AME Church in Fairburn. Master of ceremonies was

Kellen Winslow, a member of the NFL Hall of Fame, lawyer and motivational

speaker.