It is an honor for me to be here with you today to remember the contributions C.K. Steele to the history and conscience of our community. I believe this is an occasion, not only to celebrate his wisdom and praise his legacy, but to rededicate ourselves to the continuation of his works.

The heroic age of the civil rights movement produced many dynamic and memorable leaders in our nation’s history. Those of us who remember Dr. C.K. Steele, remember him as an unassuming man of slight frame, but in the history of the Civil Rights movement, both nationally and in this community, he was, is, and remains, a giant.

I won’t go into his role in the Tallahassee Bus Boycott, the challenge of which he called, “Tallahassee’s Hour of Moral Leadership”. You know that story. Some of the people in this room were there, and participated in those great events. The courage and skill he brought to that task were, (in the words of another historic leader), “far above our power to add or detract.” Rather, today I want to focus on what WE can do to carry on his works in OUR
time.

At Gettysburg Lincoln said that it is up to us, the living, to carry on the unfinished work remaining before us. If we accept Lincoln’s challenge across the years, our task then, from a historical and moral perspective, is to look at our community, and the world of today,
and determine those things to which we must commit OUR full measure of devotion.

Within the broad scope of Dr. Steele’s vision, his example, and the work he left to us, the mission of supporting the C.K. Steele Scholarship Foundation is clear. By supporting this cause, we provide educational assistance to black AND white students, together, in accordance with his wishes, and in doing so thus do celebrate Dr. Steel’s teaching of the natural and universal brotherhood of all mankind. We do this, because we believe, that his teaching of nonviolent change -- in our community and in our world -- can be fostered through the positive pursuits of education.

Above all else that he was – pastor, philosopher, leader – C.K. Steele was... a teacher.
He said that education ought “give young people strong character for living,” and taught us that there are better ways to solve our problems and improve our lot than to strive among ourselves.

Through the C.K. Steele Scholarship foundation, he is still teaching us to love one another, to respect one another, and to work with each other for the betterment of us all.
It is a lesson we must continue to learn, and learn, and study our entire lifetime. And although C.K. Steele was taken from us too soon, he still lives, through the scholarship foundation which he began and bears his name. As long as we continue to keep this foundation alive, we will keep his vision alive and meet the challenge of OUR time.

Thanks in large part to the C.K. Steel Scholarship Foundation, we are still learning from him. God willing, we will continue to do so, forever.

Thank you for inviting me here today, and thank you for supporting the C.K. Steele Scholarship Foundation.