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What does Martin Luther King, Jr. Day mean to me? As a white woman do I take time out of my busy Monday to stop and think about the implications of race in my life? You betcha. Not only today, of course, but today conjures up emotions and, you guessed it, dreams. Goals. Aspirations.
Are you aware of the monument being built to honor Dr. King? If not, take some time to view the website, read some of the information and descriptions and try to envision it.
At the entry portal, two stones are parted and a single stone is pushed back in the horizon, appearing as the missing piece of what was once a single boulder. The smooth and polished sides of each portal stone contrast the rough surfaces of the boulder. On the one side, the theme of hope is presented, with the text from King’s 1963 speech cut sharply into the stone: “With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.” On the other side are inscribed these words: “Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
It should be finished in 2008. I’d love nothing more than to take the crazy lot of our family to visit the monument the summer after it is finished. To stand, hand in hand, with my daughter, her parents, my son, my Husband. To stand in as much silence as you can get with three kids under the age of five. To be reminded of how things were and how things are. To stand, united as a family. Surpassing racial and traditional family barriers. To stand proud in the face of adversity.
To stand and hear the words echo through our hearts and souls:
“one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”
They are sisters and brothers. We are family. We acknowledge Dr. King’s important role in making it okay for Nicholas to hold hands with his sister. We raise up those others who have helped fight injustice. We pray for those who still can’t grasp the concept that human worth lies much deeper than skin level.
We remember Dr. King today. And always.
Jenna, I love the vision of your family there.
It’s reason enough for Frank and I to take Nate there. Well, DC has lots of reasons to take Nate there, but we may as well take him there for the MLK monument too. It sounds wonderful.