Backpacking While Black

Three Days with Kings

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. is a dream given form.  It is the only monument dedicated to a non-president and an African American among monuments such as the Lincoln, Jefferson and Washington Memorials.  The words etched in its stone, the edifice of Dr. King peering across the Potomac River are a reminder that we have overcome many obstacles, but still have others to surmount.  To take part in the historic dedication of the King Memorial, IMAGES USA client, Amtrak, decided to sponsor a tour on its Crescent Service for 10 high/middle school girls from the Coretta Scott King Leadership Academy (CSKYWLA) in Atlanta, GA to Washington, D.C. from October 13-17, 2011. 

I had the privilege to organize and execute this tour for Amtrak as a part of IMAGES USA's award-winning Public Relations division.  The tour was originally scheduled for August 25-29, 2011, but due to Hurricane Irene and a significant earthquake striking Washington, D.C. in the same week, the dedication was rescheduled.  After two months of waiting, the students, principals, a chaperon and I departed on the Amtrak Crescent Service #20 from the Atlanta Amtrak Station bound for Washington, D.C. on October 13, 2011 at 8pm with the Atlanta media bidding us a found farewell.  I spent the next 13 hours managing some of the most poised, polished and professional young ladies I had ever encountered.  Each one remarked at the excitement they felt about seeing not just the King Memorial, but hearing our country's first African American president speak at the first national monument dedication to an African American.  After dinner, and with everyone fast asleep in their accommodations, the weight of such an occasion hit me.  I was simply humbled.

The next day we arrived in Washington, D.C. to a media frenzy.  The CSKYWLA group was met by Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), Civil Rights veteran, and Dr. Bernice A. King, the youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King.  Media from all over Washington descended upon Union Station to capture a moment in history - a Civil Rights pioneer turned Congressman representing the City of Atlanta (Dr. King's birthplace), and Dr. King's youngest daughter greeting the smiling faces of students from a school bearing the name Dr. King's widow courtesy of a mighty Amtrak locomotive in the background.  The story made headlines all over Washington television news, USA Today, the Washington Post and the Associated Press to name a few.  Within hours the group had met politicians, pioneers, executives and former supermodel turned businesswoman B. Smith.  By the time lunch was over at Ms. Smith's restaurant, heads were resting on the table out of pure exhaustion.  But the party wasn't over yet.  The group was then whisked away to a private tour of the King Memorial by Dr. Bernice A. King and then Congressman Lewis' office on Capitol Hill.  When other students and some adults would have shown their true colors after such an ordeal, the girls of CSKYWLA continued to show great poise throughout the day. 

The next day after some much needed rest, the group toured popular Washington, D.C. sites that connected the nation's history to the Civil Rights Movement and beyond.  After breakfast we visited the Capitol Complex, Library of Congress, D.C. Metro Transit System, Smithsonian Museum of American History, National Portrait Gallery and Ford's Theater.  I always chuckled at tour guides leading groups with brightly colored umbrellas, but this particular weekend I was the tour guide holding a decorated event binder above my head to keep our group together.  Let's say that I've found a new respect for tour guides.

On Sunday morning, under the blue sky of Washington, D.C. with Secret Service helicopters keeping a watchful eye, we sat with thousands of attendees as Civil Rights icons Rev. Joseph Lowery, actress Cicely Tyson, musician Stevie Wonder and others paid tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the opening of the national memorial built in his honor.  As we sang "We Shall Overcome" holding hands like the marchers did in the 1960s, I could hear cries of joy, thanksgiving and praise come from our group.  When President Barrack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters arrived to view the Memorial, the crowd went wild.  During the president's speech you could hear a pin drop as we all listened to him get emotional at the gravity of such a historic occasion.  At the dedication's conclusion, Dr. King had the honor speaking at his own monument's dedication as the jumbotron's regaled his "I Have a Dream" speech.  We left the scene changed.  We had witnessed history.  But we had also left with a purpose, to ensure that we all continued the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

On the train returning to Atlanta that same evening, I reflected more on my three days with Kings.  I had grown.  I was no longer just an Account Executive doing another project for a client, but I had become something more - a maker of memories for 10 young ladies who will remember this trip for a lifetime.  Knowing that my team and I had the honor of making that possible was again, humbling.  I'm thankful to Amtrak, IMAGES USA and CSKYWLA/Atlanta Public Schools for this opportunity to see history in the making.

posted by Dre' @ 10/17/2011 04:19:00 PM