The son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached a message of unity and love to more than 600 people gathered at the Bermuda Industrial Union?s 25th annual Labour Day Banquet on Friday night.

The theme of this year?s celebration was ?embracing unity and diversity in our community.? Dr. Martin Luther King III ? son of the late civil rights icon and Coretta Scott King ? is himself a human rights activist.

He told those gathered at the Fairmont Southampton Princess of a project he is working on called ?Realising the Dream?. This was set up in January to continue the work of his father to highlight poverty in America, and he is in the midst of a three-month, fact-finding tour of cities where he has seen firsthand the widening gap between rich and poor.

Describing the situation in the Gulf Coast region devastated by Hurricane Katrina last August, he said: ?The tragedy is so vast, you just can?t imagine. It?s very tough for those who live in those areas.?

Turning to the subject of world conflict, he spoke of the troubles afflicting Iraq, Afghanistan and Israel.

?Wherever you look you see conflict. You see human beings not being able to get along. It?s very interesting ? we?re God?s highest creation,? he said, noting that as soon as there is conflict humans resort to violence ? ?the lowest form of method? ? to resolve it.

He blamed this on the influence of violent cartoons, video games and movies on children.

Moving on to the topic of terrorism, he said: ?How can you say we are the only super power but we are so super we can?t stamp out terrorism??

After referring to the September 11, 2001, attack on the United States, Dr. King ? who is opposed to his country?s military action in Iraq ? said: ?We will never be able to wipe out terrorism by terrorising others. We have got to treat people like they are human beings. That will reduce terrorism.?

He said he was very concerned about the direction the US is going in and expressed a hope that people would engage with the mid-term elections in November ?so some changes can be made.?

Urging those listening to maximise their own personal potential, he said: ?The future of Bermuda, the future of the Bermuda Industrial Union, is in your hands and it really only takes a few good men and women to bring about change.

?It was not safe to march with Martin Luther King Jr. ? you could lose your job and some lost their lives ? so it was just a few good women and men but they opened doors that can never be closed.

?Love is part of what it takes to transform our world. Love people if they are black, if they are white, if they are Spanish or African.

?You love them because you know that God called you to do that and that?s the kind of love we?ve got to embrace to make our nation a better place.?

Responding to his speech, Bermuda Industrial Union president Chris Furbert said that the gap between rich and poor in Bermuda must be addressed with a push for a more level playing field.

On the importance of learning the power of love, he said that all too often, families feud for years forgetting the reason they had fallen out in the first place.

?There are too many things we allow to get in the way ? tricky little things. We must be able to forgive. I?m not saying forget, but we must be able to forgive and move on,? he said.

The second billed speaker, civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton, was unable to attend due to travel arrangement problems.