Library for King

Along with many other San Diegans, I am very concerned with the recent developments in the controversy surrounding the naming of the San Diego Convention Center.

As an Anglo American, I am very proud to recognize Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. not only for the great work he did for African-Americans, but also for the work he did for all Americans. By honoring Dr. King, we cannot rectify injustice, but we can at least move forward by reawakening all of San Diego and her visitors to his work and to the need for us to carry on with his ideals.

To those who feel they have no reason to fear racism, I remind them of Dr. King’s words, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

But I must be frank in stating that I do not believe a convention center is an appropriate place to be paired with Dr. King’s name. Although the convention center will be a great landmark for San Diego, representing some of the best we have to offer, it will mainly be utilized by an elite minority of our residents and visitors, mostly in the pursuit of monetary wealth.

I feel it would be much more fitting to give Dr. King’s name to a place that would more strongly represent his belief in the possibility of equality for all people, and the vital role that access to information and education plays in this ideal. The future San Diego downtown library could be the symbol of these beliefs, and of the possibility of those beliefs to become reality, by coupling it with his name.

I see absolutely no reason why this could not be a viable solution to this problem. If a decision is not reached soon, I shall be very ashamed to call San Diego my home.

DORIANNE ERICKSON MOORE

San Diego