'Pinder's Kids' monument dedicated in Orlando
Posted April 10th, 2010
Civil rights might be taken for granted by many young Americans, but memories of the struggle are still vivid for those, like the Rev. Canon Nelson Pinder, who fought on the front lines of racial injustice in the second half of the 20th century.
State Sen. Gary Siplin, Orlando Commissioner Daisy W. Lynum, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and a host of friends and relatives turned out to honor Fr. Pinder on April 9 at Parramore Heritage Park, Orlando.
"It is an honor to be here today," said Mayor Dyer, who noted that he was one year old when Fr. Pinder moved from Miami to Orlando to serve as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida. "I have known him since 1992, and we have worked together for many years. He has ministered to many people within the church walls, but also outside the church in the wider community."
Commissioner Lynum said that, while much of the old Orlando establishment worked to "keep everyone quiet," during the 1950s, '60s and '70s, Fr. Pinder represented "the name and the face," of the struggle. His work was memorialized in a stage play titled "Pinder's Kids," produced in 2007. The play dramatizes the relationship between the young Fr. Pinder and the teenagers he trained for nonviolent protests, including sit-ins at segregated Orlando businesses.
"The play was moving and touching," Commissioner Lynum said. "He stands out head and shoulders."
Event speakers credited Sen. Siplin with securing $400,000 in funding for the monument, the park and a children's center for Parramore.
Sen. Siplin said the struggle isn't over yet, with signs of racism still evident in U.S. society.
The monument will serve to teach young people about civil rights at a time when memories are fading, said Dr. LaVon Bracy, who told of the abuse she suffered when she was the first African American to attend Gainesville High School and, in 1965, was the first to graduate from the school.
The last speaker of the event was Fr. Pinder, who thanked the "Pinder's Kids" present, as well as the Orlando officials and workers, and his multitude of friends for making his ministry possible.
"God placed me here to do his work," Fr. Pinder said. "It's not about me. It's about God blessing this community."
See more photos of the event at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joethoma/sets/72157623700518495/
