Respect for MLK can't be swept away by storm
theGRIO REPORT - The postponed memorial dedication didn't dim the attitude that this was a triumphant moment for African-Americans...
While many people were canceling trips to Washington, D.C. this weekend, Verretta Poole-Strickland braved her journey eastward because she wasn’t going to miss “one of the most memorable moments in history”.
The threat of the violent Hurricane Irene was very real for cities up and down the East Coast. Still, many African-Americans came from all over the country to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Poole-Strickland, 49, even made sure her nephew and two children took the trip from St. Paul, Minn. with her.
“I appreciate it in a way,” she said about the hurricane warning that will postpone the official dedication of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial statue until sometime in the early fall. She said her two children Kalu Abosi, 14, and Nena Abosi, 11, along with her nephew Darian Poole, 13, all got to get up close to
King’s statue and really appreciate it.
WATCH theGRIO’s TODD JOHNSON REPORT ON THE MLK MEMORIAL HERE:
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Click here to view a Grio slideshow of black Americans paying tribute to MLK
“Now, that’s a black man,” Poole-Strickland said looking up at the elegant statue with eyes that glanced off to the left along line of the setting early evening sun on Friday.
The memorial’s grounds were filled with people from everywhere. At one point a gentleman handed out about a dozen African heritage flags in red, back and green, with important days in black history printed all over it. The small crowd of people stood in front of the statue. Everyone was in the moment of celebrating the monument King’s legacy.
Pinky Young, whose in her 70s, flew in from Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, just before the cancellation of this weekend’s King memorial dedication was announced. She was sitting in on a luncheon with Robert Johnson and soon afterward found out. Since she was here for the memorial’s groundbreaking ceremony, there was no way she was missing the opening days.
“I know Irene is coming,” she said. Seeing the statue she helped to build was worth it. “I am so proud. I’m in tears, frankly, she said. “I don’t think any other moment for me has been as memorable.” Young says she’s donated to the memorial fund for the past two years. The retired nurse said she planned to ride out the storm in D.C. and head home next week.
The postponed memorial dedication didn’t dim the attitude that this was a triumphant moment for African-Americans. Poole-Strickland and her family vowed to return to D.C. in the fall. They’ll be heading home by plane early next week.
“It’s because of Dr. King that people of today have the freedom that they have. This is an awesome time in history, ” she said.
