With three minutes to go on Monday, 21 January, 2008, Martin Luther King day, I don't see a single diary that addresses the subject.
Not one that talks about participating in a march. Not one that talks about participating in events to commemorate MLK and his legacy. Probably can't type quite fast enough to get this up before midnight, and that's a shame.
Because today, out on the streets of Seattle, people of every income, race, nationality, marched together for peace and justice.
What about you? Did you march? Do you usually? Were you surprised not to see more commentary about the event here?
More below.
It was sunny (amazing enough). People were cheerful. People greeted each other kindly. Most people were carrying this year's signs, which were nice. I carry two signs that are about 7 years old.
This year I had a 5-year-old with me. When he asked me, "Why are we going?" I was tempted to say, "Because it's just what we do." I did manage a better explanation. Brought the Razor scooter, which really helped him to go the distance. He even carried a sign for a little while. And he even yelled in the response to one of the call-and-response slogans for a while. Very daring (!)
At one point as we headed back to the, after he got tired of the scooter, as I tried to carry it and the signs and hold his hand, a woman next to me said, "Could you use a hand?" I said, "Yes!" and she carried the signs for quite a ways for me.
Here's a URL to news coverage of one Seattle event, a march by over 200 teens and their sponsors.
"I think he was a good man because of what he dreamed of. That was a good dream," said 12-year-old Patrice Asher, carrying a poster of King in a parade of more than 200 kids and their supporters. "And when that person killed him, that was very selfish of him."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/...
Here's a photo of the march I was in -- you can see this year's signs:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/...
Here's a picture of a tiny section of the MLK Jr. Memorial Park in Seattle. It's very impressive -- curving cement sidewalks and cement seating form an amphitheatre around a sculpture and pool.
http://www.seattle.gov/...
So once again: What about you? Did you march? Do you usually? What does this day mean to you?