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| Despite the need for a walker, civil rights icon Esther Lee participates in virtual walk on Washington |
But the dream lives on.
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| The virtual march was a walk around the block. McClure didn't even break a sweat. |
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| Mayor Ray O'Connell introduces Council members to Esther Lee |
When Dr. King spoke 57 years ago, it was on a pleasant summer day. August 28, 2020 was a different story. Instead of 200,000 marchers, there may have been 200,000 cicadas warning of bad weather ahead. Ominous dark clouds gathered. But the Mayors of all three of the Lehigh Valley's cities made it a point to be there, along with NorCo Exec Lamont McClure. Three members of Bethlehem City Council - Willie Reynolds, Olga Negron and Grace Crampsie Smith - were there. Accompanying Allentown Mayor Ray O'Connell were Council members Daryl Hendricks, Candida Affa and Ed Zucal.
The dream lives on.
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| Lee exchanges pleasantries with Allentown's Council members |
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| The dance of these three pretty young ladies was just one of several musical interludes marking this remembrance of MLK's "I have a dream!" |
The white Mayors and County Exec gave excellent speeches. Perhaps "the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood," as Dr. King dared to dream.
Mayor O'Connell, meeting the iconic Esther Lee for the first time, hugged her. She was happy to meet members of Allentown City Council, at least two of whom are NAACP members.
But it's still an unrealized dream.
Lehigh University's Dr. Daniel Outing made that clear. "Racism is in the American dirt," he said. "America's real pandemic, eternal pandemic, is racism, and the the infection continues to kill, always and forever."
But like Dr. King, Dr. Outing is hopeful. "What makes us great is not our belief that we are perfect. What makes us great is our desire to be better and do better."
He still dares to dream.
How about you?
19 comments:
The vast majority of Americans support equal opportunity. This was the wish of MLK.
Today the goals have shifted to outright redistribution and preferences. This is not equal opportunity and it has interfered with the goal of equal opportunity and actually hurt the image of black citizens as incapable of competing on a level playing field.
Now it seems the goal has escalated to re-education and forcibly eliminating thoughts and perceptions that are part of human nature.
Many ask, were will this all end?
I grew up in a mixed race neighborhood and lived through the tensions in 1968. The reality of my warm, friendly, and neighborly interactions don't square with what I see on TV and online. I think terrible racists exist in equal numbers on each side of the political aisle, who use race to divide and always will. That saddens me.
One way to get past the ‘racism’ issue to not make that issue part of every discussion. Clearly, many other factors at work in determining happiness and contentment in life. There is no need to identify intellect and reason with an individual’s skin color. When you find helpful knowledge and positive behavior in another human that benefits you, pigment is of little matter to the recipient.
At least get the title of your story right. Still, not sill.
I agree with Anon 748am, and unfortunately we've let the loons and racists on the outer edges of both parties control things.
We need to take back our country from the radical right and the radical left.
I had a dream to buy a Coke and the world would sing! Now all America is in a bad nightmare that is like being in a Freddy Kruger movie.
Pols pandering for votes.
Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, King 1968 that is 5 years after.
Isn't it racist to assume all white people are racist?
I knew I shouldn't have clicked on the comments. Disgusting, hateful people.
With Mayor Sal Panto playing the race card in recent months now would be a good time to get his blessing to paint "Black Lives Matter" on the pavement surrounding Easton Centre Square. If the good mayor has a problem with this then why not paint the Black Lives slogan on 4th St in front of the Pomfret Club. Of course most major decisions concerning the City of Easton first have to be run by the folks at lafayette College for their blessing before proceeding.
black lives matter is a disgrace to the name of Martin Luther King Jr.
black lives matter is led by a marxist white leadership group which pays the leaders of its local groups to organize and lead demonstrations in target areas.The leadership is concentrated in metro areas and it sends reps to outlying areas with cash in hand for volunteers. Local notables will always be available who are loud but far from bright and eloquent(such as those from the Lehigh Valley) but that's OK as simple hate chants messages repeated continuously require minimal training.
They have many white leaders/members living nowhere near Black neighborhoods who are enthusiastically supportive.Leadership group is a mix of well meaning democrats,far left progressives, anarchists, marxists with a number of rabble rousers and parolees mixed in for volume and violence
If you want to make this kind of generalization, back it up with trustworthy links.
Sometimes people mistake racism for pure innocence and that’s the way it is.. example tonight Michelle Obama was on a podcast and said during her husbands presidency, she would take out her dog for a walk and white people would totally ignore her and go pet and talk to her dog. She said they would ignore her because she is black.
Well let me tell you my side. 4-5 times a week, I walk my dog for About 1 hour 10;minutes walking about 3.5 miles down at the Riverview Park off of 25th street or the bike path between Home Depot and St Lukes. I have been walking here well over the last 4-5 years.
FACT. Nobody knows my name but well over 50 people know my dogs name. I guess the same people she is talking about are prejudiced against old fat elderly people also. I don’t think so!!!! This is just human nature and how people react to pets.
Right on @10:18 PM. Michelle obviously thin-skinned with an inferiority complex but bet the dog was a keeper.
MLK Jr was a Republican!!!!
I'm unaware precisely what Michelle Obama said bc you do not identify the podcast so I can listen to what she herself has to say. i will say that I always greet the dog, not the walker, and people light up when I do that.
“I can tell you a number of stories like that when I've been completely incognito, during the eight years in the White House, walking the dogs on the canal, people will come up and pet my dogs but will not look me in the eye. They don't know it's me."
Obama emphasized how not even being acknowledged as a human being can be hurtful.
It took me two minutes to find this online.
With my dog people will look at her never giving me a glance and say. “ so cute!” Then I say —-and you should see my dog. This is how bad it gets, I’m totally ignored. Maybe I’d be better off being a dog. Lol
There is nothing in that comment, absolutely nothing, indicating that people do not look at her bc of her race. That is all you, and tells me all I need to know about your own bigoted mind. Also, you still fail to provide a link to support your bigoted opinion.
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