"What happens to a dream deferred?"
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore -
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over -
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
I think about this poem by Langston Hughes every time I see the picture of Martin Luther King Jr. on county police cars or on county ads in the newspaper. I think about it because out of 3,141 official counties in the United States only one (ours) is named after an African American. I am forced to ask myself whether this makes us special or it is just another name for another county.
At the beginning of this new decade and 10 years into a new millennium, it's time to take a new look at our decision to rename the county, what it means and the kind of opportunities it affords us.
The true meaning?
The question I continue to ask myself: What does the name being changed to Martin Luther King Jr. County really mean? Does it means that our educational system for all races is superior, our elderly are taken care of or whether more African males are going to college than to prison? Does it means that this county reflects King's vision and that we judge people more on their character than their color?
In spite of the fact that Martin Luther King Jr. County is way out west, it is the 12th-largest county in the nation and it is the home of some of the most powerful corporations in the world, i.e. Microsoft, Amazon.com, Starbucks and Boeing. It is the most racially diverse county in the nation, and where we live in the Rainier valley is the most racially diverse part of the county.
Martin Luther King Jr. County should become a national leader in developing a new vision of racial cooperation. But how do we get there? What people, groups or organizations must come together to make this vision a reality?
The answer to those questions are still to be found, but in the meantime, every one of us can take it upon themselves to be agents of change in our personal ways. It is this collective intent of individuals to make change the forges the alliances necessary to build a real movement. So while thousands of us gather for this year's annual Martin Luther King Jr. march it's an opportunity for us to do more than march and chant.
We can start the process of outlining what a real post-racial society looks like.
If you are preparing to make a decision that affects the lives of people around you, stop for a moment and ask yourself whether your actions are in line with your understanding of what King stood for. Does it create racial harmony or racial discord? And does it make the world around you better or worse?
We have the power to change
I believe we wanted to name this county after King because we had a dream of creating a special place - a place outlined in part by King's "I Have a Dream" speech during the march in Washington. That is the dream that I believe is being deferred if we do nothing. If we don't make a real effort to make the county reflect the values of the person it is named after, we let the act of renaming this county be a pointless exercise of bureaucracy.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Langston Hughes gave us several choices in the poem above, but the final verse is the one we should take note of: "Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?"
What we do or don't do will determine the answer, but we have the power to make this a unique place or just another place to showcase our dysfunctional American family.
Charlie James has been an African-American community activist/writer for more than 35 years.[[In-content Ad]]
