April 4, 1968

Over the last week, I’ve seen how far we have come—and how much work still needs to be done.

On March 25th, King County Metro Transit unveiled work done by 3 Metro employees of their interpretations of “Black Lives Matter” (full disclosure: I’m both a King County and Metro Transit employee)

I’ve been around for a while, and I’m at the point in my life where very little surprises me.

The positive response to the art—not supporting any organization, but the artist’s expression of the pain and pride of their African American brothers and sisters—took my breath away.

There was a tremendous sense of accomplishment by those who were at the artists celebration and viewed the work. I saw a few tears as well.

But along with the sense of pride—there were those who were not happy.

The expected and standard “Seattle is dying” tripe that has become the reflexive response whenever people north of the Ship Canal have their memories of “growing up” challenged is there.

But also, something more insidious.

It was best captured by one comment, which because of Metro comment standards, has been removed—the comment ended with:

“I hope they put Floyd’s face on the seats so we can repeat what happened to him”

The venom spewed, the cowardly (since most of the comments are anonymous) responses toward this artistic expression, reminded me of an asinine post that came across my Facebook page a few years back:     

Technically the post is right—Chattel Slavery –in this form—has been gone for quite a while—but slavery in other forms…

Sharecropping was a form of slavery that existed well into the last century, and sharecropping’s impact still resonates since many descendants of those slaves fled the south to escape the cruelty of the new version of the old “Peculiar Institution,” only to run into something that was just as insidious..

Jim Crow—blatant in the south/subtle in the north—enslaved generations, telling people of a certain hue where they could live, work, spend their money, even where they could pee. Currently we’re seeing examples that Mr. Crow still exist…through the attacks in Georgia and a number of other states over the most basic of American acts—the ability to vote.

Again, the post is right—there are no people from the period when Black people were considered property that are alive right now, but the GRANDCHILDREN of the people that were property are still alive, in their 80’s and 90’s, but alive…(as are the grandchildren of the people who owned the “property”)

I mention both the BLM artwork and the slavery post because today, April 4, we observe the anniversary of a very dark day in American history…

If not for James Earl Ray, Dr. King would have (hopefully) been 92—and we can only wonder what would have happened to America—and the world—if he had not gone out onto the balcony of that Memphis hotel…

A man whose grandparents WERE SLAVE BORN spent his short time on this earth asking Americans to acknowledge their past—even when it was hard—because that was the first step toward building a better future…

Should we focus on the past alone? No. But to tell people we won’t move forward if we keep looking at the past shows a naivety—and ignorance—that I continue to believe we will grow out of.

The past helps form the present and the present can and should be used to shape the future.

Right now, in the present, we are seeing far too often the “dark side” of that humanity in many forms—from assaults on our Asian elders to the potential denial of food and water to people waiting in line to vote.  

Dr. King used the past as a step to develop a better present, with the sincere goal of achieving a future that would fulfill his faith in the “Beloved Community.” He didn’t see it happen, and folks my age probably won’t see it either, but like Dr. King, I believe in my heart it will come, and that hopefully my child and her friends will be part of that community.

“Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the Promised Land.”

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr
1929-1968

Until Next Time….