Fort was guest speaker at the local human rights commission’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Celebration Monday
The Rev. Dr. Mitchell Fort spoke Monday about striving to build a community where everyone belongs at the Henderson-Henderson County Human Rights Commission’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Celebration at First United Methodist Church.
To illustrate his point, Fort used the parable of the Good Samaritan as an example for a community to follow and said all of us have at one point been one of the characters in the story—the priest and the Levite, who both passed by the injured man on Jericho Road, as well as the Samaritan who stopped to help.
The Samaritan, an outsider, saw somebody half-alive and was willing to do what he could to help, said Fort, who is the pastor at Virginia Street Baptist Church in Hopkinsville as well as the president of Hopkinsville College of the Bible.
“He was willing to make a difference,” Fort said, and relating it to current times, added, “We’ve got to quit looking at the outer appearance…(we’ve) got to look at the humanity.”
Furthermore, the Samaritan took the injured man to an inn and paid for his stay and care, while promising to pay for any more expenses, if necessary, on his return, Fort said.
He said if we want to build community, we need to roll up our sleeves and get to work, and then make an investment, like the Samaritan did, in our community.
“We’ve got to build a community where everyone—everyone!—can feel like they belong,” Fort said.
Earlier in his speech, Fort spoke of King’s concept of the “Beloved Community,” which is a society of justice and equality, and a community in which racism and discrimination are overcome by love and mutual understanding. He said it is a responsibility handed down from one person to the next.
Fort’s remarks were preceded by comments by Henderson Mayor Brad Staton, Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider and Henderson Director of Latino Ministries Abraham Brown.
Staton recalled his time as a student at Earlington Elementary School in Hopkins County when a classmate read King’s “I Have A Dream” speech over the loudspeaker and the effect it had on him and classmates. He also said Monday’s celebration is a reminder of humanity and the strength of our people when we see through other’s eyes.
Schneider spoke in part about a local leader, Thomas Platt, who answered King’s call to fight for justice in Henderson. Platt died in November 2025 at age 96. Schneider called him a “quiet leader” who helped people live a life with dignity here in Henderson.
“He worked tirelessly for people in this community,” Schneider said.
Brown said MLK Day is for “celebrating a man who did the walk…who said something, and did it.”
And King’s message continues to be needed today when people are still persecuted, he said.
“His dream is still a work in progress,” Brown said. “I hope and pray we continue making this dream a reality.”
The master of ceremony for the celebration held at noon at the First United Methodist Church was Maximillian Lisembee. Music was provided by the Rev. E.J. Simmons, pastor at Bennett Memorial United Methodist Church and associate pastor at First United Methodist Church, and the Henderson County High School Colonel Singers.
Prayers were offered by the Rev. John Guthrie, the president of the Henderson County Ministerial Association; the Rev. R.T. Hill, pastor at Seventh Street Baptist Church; and the Rev. Lauren McDuffiee, the pastor at Community Baptist Church.
“It’s been a great day,” said the Rev. Charles Johnson, the executive director of the of the Henderson-Henderson County Human Rights Commission.
