Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on 4 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee. As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the great civil rights leader, we are reminded of some of the profound words which he imparted not only to the people of his day, but words that have proven to be timeless and ring ever truer at this day and hour.

Speaking with love, humility, and compassion, he taught us, “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” He further exhorted, “The richer we have become materially, the poorer we become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly in the air like birds and swim in the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.” Dr. King wanted people to understand that we must learn to accept people for who they are and not who we perceive them to be. In his quest for freedom and equality for all humanity regardless of race, he taught us the priceless truth that we cannot, and we should not, “judge a book by its cover.” We should not place people into a certain group or place a label upon them simply based on certain features or characteristics such as the color of their skin.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s final sermon to his congregation at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on 4 February 1968, was titled “The Drum Major Instinct.” Now, marching to the beat of their own drum, Yahosh Bonner and friends – Kiirt Banks, Jalyn Macedone, Rashida Jordan, Bri Ray, Daysha Lassiter, and Clotile Bonner – have joined their talents and lifted high their voices to create a powerful rendition of the song “This Is Me” from the blockbuster movie The Greatest Showman. The music video was released on Yahosh’s YouTube channel on Friday, 30 March 2018.

The description of the video unequivocally states, “This is in honor of all those who struggle to find the value in who they are and to those who fought for us to have the right to be unapologetically who God has made us to be.”

Several versions of the song “This Is Me” have emerged since the release of the phenomenal movie, but none begin to compare to the dynamic, heartfelt version that these multi-talented music artists have created. Make no mistake about it. This is not just a group of friends coming together to sing a song or to create another music video. With great firmness of purpose, strength of resolution, and vigor of action, this immensely talented group of music artists make an unapologetic, emphatic statement to the world that “I am who I am, and I make no apologies!” THIS IS ME!!