In Phila., King's son keeps the dream alive

Standing in the shadow of America's birthplace, the son of Martin Luther King Jr. told a crowd of hundreds yesterday that his late father's dream has not yet been achieved. Inside the Liberty Bell pavilion, Martin Luther King III, said that freedom is still not available to all. "When I symbolically rang the bell, the first thing that I thought of in terms of liberty and freedom and justice was that we've not achieved it yet for everyone," King said. When King delicately tapped the Liberty Bell, bells commemorating his father's death rang across the nation and as far away as England and the Vatican, according to the Rev. Thomas Ritter, chairman of the Philadelphia Martin Luther King Jr. Association. King joined other luminaries, including Rosa Parks and retired general Colin Powell, who have taken part in the fourteen previous National Bell Ringing Ceremonies. "On some occasions the bell in Independence Hall is coincided to ring with the tapping [of the Liberty Bell]," said National Park Service Ranger Larry McClenney. Oalita Haymes, a teacher at Bodine High School, said that different cultures need to learn from one another. "People keep talking about black this, black that," said Haymes, who marched with King in Washington, D.C. in 1963. "But it's not the color of your skin that matters, it's what's in your heart. It's how you value life." King explained that his father's birthday was being "observed" this year -- not celebrated. "In 2001, we cannot celebrate, not in America when African Americans earn 57 cents on the dollar that white Americans earn," he said. "Not when women in America still earn 79 cents to the dollar that men earn. Not when our corporate structure still is 96 percent white males." Nearly 25,000 Philadelphia-area volunteers were expected to fight the trend yesterday, by participating in the sixth annual Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service. "It is on this day that we look [to King] for a source of inspiration and a source of commitment to continue his ideals," Mayor John Street said at the ceremony. Street added that all Philadelphians, from schoolchildren to prisoners, "are worthy of our love and our support." Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo spoke about how he has tried to introduce greater equality into HUD's policies. "Racism is alive and well," he said, "whether you're driving down the New Jersey Turnpike or trying to get a taxi."