 |
|
|
|
War opinions surface at MLK
event Swarms of people gathered outside of the Exhibition Hall in the Tacoma Dome on Jan. 20 awaiting the 15th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Birthday Celebration. It was one big community with a common cause - to honor a great man and his dream. Romy Rivera attended the annual celebration for the first time with her partner this year. “[My partner] has come every year, so I came to see what it’s all about,” said Rivera. “It’s nice to see a lot of different people for the same cause…remembering a great person.” Despite the Happy Birthday T-shirts that littered the crowd, there was a less than happy attitude for many of the 2,300 plus attendants on Jan. 20. While the underlying reason for the event was King and his dream, many people found the celebration as an opportunity to protest the war in Iraq and to express their distaste with President Bush. “He was a mediocre student then and he’s a mediocre thinker now,” shouted out keynote speaker Dr. Leslie David Braxton as the crowd went wild with applause. Braxton spent the majority of his time speaking about how if King were alive, he would not condone the war in Iraq. The audience cheered while they stood in front of their seats, arms extended and hands raised in support of the speaker. However many who attended the event left with surprised looks on their faces. The program was moderately low key until Braxton began to speak. Prior to Braxton’s speech the program included music, dancing, awards and a fashion show. Braxton’s words changed the mood. “It is almost like the meaning of Dr. King’s birthday is being lost in all of this talk about war and what King would think about Bush’s decisions,” said Lakewood citizen Kiersten Woods. “The war on drugs has been a war on black people,” said Braxton. He claimed that while both black and white people use cocaine, police have focused their efforts on the crack cocaine users, the majority of whom are black. While King’s message was of peace and about removing segregation, Braxton implied that the segregation is still a part of our reality. “We are re-developing slavery through the legal justice system,” said Braxton. “We’ve come a long way but we’re not there,” said Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, another speaker at the event. “Racism is alive in America today.” Standing up for what you believe in was the constant message of the day. Through the anti-war discussions and talks of affirmative action, the discussion always managed to veer back towards Martin Luther King and his attitude that people should stand up for what they believe in. Many student organizations turned out to help celebrate. A group called the Clover Park Steppers put on a program called “Living the Dream,” where they displayed their stepping abilities in honor of King. Deprice Jones, also from Clover Park, performed a passionate and expressive rendition of Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman.” The performances from the youth energized the crown and encouraged more hand raising and extensive applause. Standing ovations were happening left and right. Put on by the Human Rights and Human Services Department of Tacoma, who assists citizens in achieving positive outcomes from the challenges of discrimination and diversity, the lobby of the Exhibition Hall was filled with handouts and stickers on diversity. Red Robin and Papa John’s Pizza, both of which have large diversity programs, were in attendance handing out menus, coupons, buttons and fliers about their commitment to the community. There was also a canned food drive outside of the Tacoma Dome that collected more than 20 tons of food and $430 in cash donations for the food network. |
“I’m here
to celebrate and be amongst supporters,” said Peter Cubean, who
brought his two children to the celebration. “I want [my kids] to
learn about it. I’ve been coming every year.”
