YARR!

I spent some 3 hours recently at the King Center. Granted, I was trying to catch Bono there when U2 were in town, but still, I went and walked the whole complex for the first time ever. I even ran into Dexter and spoke briefly. I don't know, I just think that there should be more there. Something more tangible. Sure, the carriage that carried the casket is there, along with real KKK robes of former dragons, and there are great rare clips of marches, speeches, etc. But I came away thinking, hmm, there should be more there. I went to Ebenezer Church, and talked security into sneaking me downstairs into what was the original sanctuary to see where I sat during the commencement back in '86?. Myself and a couple of others were the only white people in the basement while then vice prez Bush Sr. gave his speech upstairs. I was also surprised that there was no copies of the commencement commerative brochere thing that they gave the attendees that day, which I still have. I went to the birthplace, and the tomb, and the gift shop, and the fire station, but I kept thinking, there should be more there. Maybe the best part of the place is the rose garden filled with dozens of rose bushes of all kinds. Still, I thought there should be more there. I finally gave up on seeing Bono (who, I found out later, spent some 2-3 hours walking around Piedmont Park, a couple of miles away, lol) and started to leave the center. I got in the truck, looked over to my right, and saw this white kid and black kid playing together, running, chasing each other, laughing. I thought maybe that's it. Maybe this is why this place was built. I stopped thinking that there should be more there.

amen to that

You don't always need weapons and fists to put up resistance.

It's just such a shame racism still exists. My boyfriend is half black. That was a shocker for my old-fashioned parents as they do not believe in the mixing of races.
But whatever. Black, white, yellow, green, who cares? It's all the same species.

hello

Nice post. Great man. His time was too short.

Q

Oldschool-I was moved by your post. I had an education professor at "UNCW", who took great pride in the fact that he was Creole'. He was never married nor did he have kids but he fought like hell against the city council of Wilmington, NC.... for a skatepark....... Stating that it was cheaper to repair a brick on a monument/sidewalk than send a kid to jail......When I think about him/about today.....I think of all of thoses who have sacrificed for the better of today for "everybody." Diversity does indeed make the world a better place........

MLK was right, but I hope his ideas are not just relegated to history. If we can still learn from them, we can make things better. I myself also need to remember that.

Amen.

Thanks for the continuous updates, Steve, it's awesome to be included in the process..

Elsa