Commentary : Why Do Blacks Expect Whites to Honor Dr. King?

I will begin by saying that I believe the great majority of the black community would be pleased if the convention center is named in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I believe also that naming the convention center for King would have a liberation effect on whites. It would break down another barrier just as Jackie Robinson did for baseball and as Tom Bradley has done as the mayor of predominantly white Los Angeles.

Whites need to understand that blacks have historically accepted white heroes and blacks’ tax dollars have been used to support monuments to white heroes, from Washington and Lincoln to Jack Murphy, Cabrillo, Father Serra and others. We have accepted these monuments without questioning. For most of that history we were not allowed to develop as human beings, let alone develop heroes.

If the premise that honorific figures are important, then everyone with common sense and decency would understand why King is important to us and why many blacks wish that others would accept our hero as we have theirs.

However, if the majority of whites don’t accept that premise, then what are we as a black community to do?

It’s important for us to make a distinction between substantive and symbolic issues. Like King, we should demand the right to work, live, vote and have equal access to the goods and services of the society. On the other hand, while the convention center is an important symbol, is it worth the pain of going through another Market Street fiasco?

There is no doubt to anyone living on the planet Earth that, once the convention center is named for King, an initiative will be placed on the ballot and King’s name will be removed by the voters of San Diego. (I hope I am wrong!)

I am not questioning the motive of those who think the convention center would be a suitable replacement after the Market Street defeat. I am only asking, what has happened in this city since the Market Street vote that would lead us to believe that the outcome this time will be any different? I am questioning why we continue to put our feelings, dignity and self-worth at the feet of people who would trample on them.

As a people, blacks must embrace those symbolic issues that are as important to us as St. Patrick’s Day is to the Irish and Cinco de Mayo is to the Mexicans. But we cannot rely on others to honor those symbols.

Martin Luther King had a universal message of peace and nonviolence that helped free us from an oppressive society. But King’s message was never universally accepted.

If, by their actions, San Diegans do not accept his message, then they are unlikely to accept him as a hero to be honored. Again, I hope I am wrong, but if King’s name is stripped from the convention center, then the black community must begin to look inward for a way to honor King’s memory that does not require approval by the community at large.