Unity Fest organizers living in Albania?

Unity Fest is one of Glendale’s enduring activities. The community shows up once a year, in force, to celebrate a concept that is important and resonating.

Yet I found it rather telling that on the day of the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. statue in Washington D.C., any reference to this epic event in Glendale on Unity Fest day, no less, was absent.

It was a major slight as to the validity of Glendale’s efforts to celebrate the overriding concept of what the day is really about. There was nothing that I could see — no poster, no sign, no booth — that said anything about the unity that Martin Luther King Jr. was all about.

The planners of this event were obviously living in Albania during the week prior to launching Unity Fest and were unaware of the importance of the Martin Luther King Jr. monument unveiling. Or they just didn’t care.

Either way, the omission of any and all reference to this major national event was an opportunity lost to Glendale and its citizens. This was, potentially, an opportunity for Glendale to share an emotional and political message with the rest of the nation.

Unfortunately, it speaks volumes as to the insensitivity of the community at large, and underlines Glendale’s obsession with itself, refusing to acknowledge the bigger picture — even on a day it sets aside to do just the opposite.

Michael Fish

Los Angeles