Tag Archives: MLK

And speaking of…

My favorite holiday is coming up on Monday, and there are going to be lots of events going on around town. (Assuming I’m not in–or recovering from–labor, I’ll be at the march and then the CD Forum event at the Seattle Center.) If you’re planning to attend any of the festivities (or, if you have to work on the 18th), you’ll probably want to check out Metro’s King Holiday schedule.

Respect to those who came before, 2010 edition

I decided to take a break from the quote I usually post on this day and hit you with some new ones–some that happen to reflect my state of mind right about now.*

We are prone to judge success by the index of our salaries or the size of our automobiles, rather than by the quality of our service and relationship to humanity.

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Even a superficial look at history reveals that no social advance rolls on the wheels of inevitability. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concerns of dedicated individuals. Without persistent effort, time itself becomes an ally of the insurgent and primitive forces of irrational emotionalism and social destruction. This is no time for complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action.

Many people fear nothing more terribly than to take a position which stands out sharply and clearly from the prevailing opinion… Not a few men who cherish lofty and noble ideals hide them under a bushel for fear of becoming different.

Happy birthday, Dr. King.

* All quotes were taken from The Words of Martin Luther King, Jr., by Coretta Scott King. The book was a gift from my brother, Jeremy, many years ago on my own birthday (which happens to be today as well), and I continue to refer to it for inspiration and guidance.

And again: Respect to those who came before

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on the Montgomery Bus Boycott:

During the rush hours the sidewalks were crowded with laborers and domestic workers, many of them well past middle age, trudging patiently to their jobs and home again, sometimes as much as twelve miles. They knew why they walked, and the knowledge was evident in the way they carried themselves. And as I watched them I knew that there is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their courage and dignity.

(Source: Stride Toward Freedom)

I’ve posted this quote before, but I keep coming back to it because it moves me, and because it is applicable to so many challenges we face today.

Happy birthday, Dr. King.

MLKC Metro, part II

I saw this on a 43 while I waited at Montlake this evening:

My hero on the bus

It’s not the first time I’ve seen the new county logo on a bus, but it’s the first time I’ve been able to get a picture. I dropped my camera at the Bus to Work Day celebration back in March (good thing I won a bike to compensate), so I can only get pictures if Bus Nerd is with me and the lighting is good enough for him to use his phone. But I digress.

I can’t wait until I finally get to ride on a Dr. King bus. With the exception of my phone-camera-toting husband (well, and maybe Original Bus Chick), there’s no one I’d rather travel with.