What would Martin Luther King Jr. be working on if he were still alive today?
I had the great privilege to attend the Port Angeles High School Martin Luther King Jr. assembly as a community member.
I am a former public school teacher and have attended many Martin Luther King Jr. assemblies in both Edmonds and Spokane.
The assembly at Port Angeles High School was the best I have ever seen.
The poetry slam brought tears to my eyes.
Lower Elwha Klallam people, who have called this place their home for thousands of years, had the stage.
The prophetic assembly opened with a drum circle and condensed history of Native American oppression in Port Angeles.
Usually these assemblies present civil rights history as if it were a thing of the past.
In contrast, the Port Angeles High School assembly tied in Standing Rock, Black Lives Matter, immigration, the women’s movement and LGBTQ rights.
The speakers addressed these issues with a long view, rather than focusing on specific events, such as white supremacists terrorizing Charlottesville or the border patrol locking up asylum seekers at the border.
The fact that our current president is a white nationalist was not even mentioned.
Oppressed groups were able to share their stories and hopes in a way that encourages all people to dream of the world described by Martin Luther King Jr.
The assembly gave me a glimpse into a more hopeful future for Port Angeles.
Carolyn Wilcox,
Port Angeles