The site itself is relatively simple. A curved wall creates a crescent line that breaks in the middle as the figure of Dr. King thrusts forward, towards the Tidal Basin off the of the West Potomac. The wall is inscribed with quotes spanning Dr. King’s career, but two resonated with me more than the others as I enter the week to come, excited to meet Senator Glenn and discuss the nature of public service. The first quote, from a speech King made in 1959 in D.C., is, “Make a career of humanity. Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights. You will make a greater person of yourself, a greater nation of your country, and a finer world to live in.” Coupled with the second from 1964: “I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits,” I was prodded to evaluate the nature of my summer in D.C.
What is my role, as someone with means and education that are unobtainable to many in this city, and how can I translate that role to Columbus and wherever I end up after graduation. When I see a homeless person on my way to work, should I be blind to the reality of the market and it’s unavoidable inequalities, or should I realize that he or she is a person capable of feeling and hurting just as I am? It’s been a few years since I saw a homeless person as a person rather than the representative of a condition without much clout or weight in the minds of the majority of Americans; perhaps because many of us believe that homelessness is a permanent fixture of our society.
More than anything the memorial made me reevaluate the possibilities for public service in our country. I am young and have an entire career to effect change through hard work, so why not have the “audacity” to believe in our power to do it.
-Devin Benson
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