Evansville Mayor Stephanie Terry focused on three key components—equality, empowerment and excellence—in a Sunday speech to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day that aired on WSON.
Terry was scheduled to speak at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Celebration hosted by the Henderson-Henderson County Human Rights Commission on Sunday, but that was canceled late last week because of the weather.
So, Terry took to the airwaves Sunday afternoon. The Rev. Charles Johnson, the human rights commission’s executive director, introduced Terry, listing numerous accomplishments and highlighting her Henderson connections—her recently deceased father, Robert Esters, pastored the First Missionary Baptist for 33 years.
Terry started by saying her being the first woman and first Black person elected as mayor of Evansville represents progress but it’s not a destination. She said the theme of “equality, empowerment and excellence” is more than a slogan, noting it’s a call to action and reminder of the work still needing to be done.
Equality, she said, is the belief that everyone deserves access to the same opportunities, regardless of “their race, their gender or circumstances.”
“While we’ve made great strides, we know that equality is still far from reality for many,” she said. “Progress doesn’t mean we’ve arrived. It means we’ve taken the next step forward.”
Examples of what can be done in people’s daily lives include creating scholarships or funding opportunities to ensure that all have a chance at higher education, reviewing practices so that workplaces are inclusive and representative of the community and speaking up when injustice is witnessed.
Equality opens the door, while empowerment gives people the confidence to walk through it, she said.
Empowerment is equipping people with the tools and confidence that allows them to change their circumstances, Terry said.
Terry said leaders can create community education workshops, community mediation programs, inclusive events and listening sessions as well as actively advocate for policy changes so that people can feel empowered.
“Empowerment begins with small, intentional actions that ripple outward to create meaningful change,” she said.
Finally, excellence is about holding ourselves to the highest standards of integrity, action and compassion.
‘’It’s about doing what’s right, even when it’s hard,” she said.
She closed by asking the listening audience to imagine a community in which every child is valued not for just what they do, but for who they are; where classrooms are filled with opportunity; where businesses thrive because they are supported by people who believe in each other; where no one has to choose between putting food on the table or pursuing their dreams; where everyone has a seat at the table and a voice that is heard; where justice is not something we demand but something we practice.
She said that vision is not a distant dream but a reality we can create.
“The work is not easy but it’s worth it,” Terry said.