I have cried “Freedom” before at the premiere of Cry Freedom in NYC with Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline at the next table.
It was an honor to help write and create the first Martin Luther King day. A bunch of us got into a station wagon to drive to D.C. We each had an assignment. Mine was water and sodas. Upon arriving at the Subaru wagon with said goods I was told I would not be allowed any as “tiny tank” would not be allowed to have anything lest I made them stop at every other gas station on the NJ Turnpike. Fair enough.
We stayed with my former room-mate in Washington. What a day she had planned. Church services, memorials, and finally an incredible service at an AME church with a choir, and Coretta Scott King, in person, spoke to us. We spent 14 hours at memorials that day. It was an honor and a privilege to be able to be a part of making this day of remembrance and first holiday in his name.
I am a white woman who champions human and civil rights for all. Animals included. Abuse of any living being is not to be condoned. A couple of years ago we went to Memphis, I hoped to see the hotel where MLK was shot but it was under construction.
Whatever anyone else believes is not up to me, I know that by his principles he changed our world for the better. This morning I got up to take out the dog and gave a hug to a Black lady who is starting her new job in charge today (I gave her a reference without ever being asked).
For me, it’s always been the same. In the south, it’s different. We spent an hour a year learning about the Civil War. Why they called it “civil” I’ve no idea, brother against brother. They spent the entire year studying that war. They focus on it today, on losing the South and their way of life.
Get on with it, folks. Who would have expected a northeastern gal to drive south to celebrate the first national MLK Day? Dee
Cooking with Dee 