Under the baobab: An apology for words unsaid after removal of memorial in State College
Sisters and brothers, I apologize. A little background.
In 2012 State College Borough Council member Peter Morris proposed to change the name of the plaza on Fraser Street to the Martin Luther King Plaza. The council agreed. It was the first official designation of a site for an African American in the borough.
Four years later, in 2016, when the Hyatt was being constructed across the street, the borough reallocated resources to beautify the MLK Plaza. A committee of concerned citizens and Borough Council members was charged with reviewing and making recommendations to the Borough Council on the design, content, and installation of commemorative elements within the plaza. MLK Plaza opened on Aug. 28, 2017, on the 54th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It is where Dr. King gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech. Led by Barbara Farmer, Gary Abdullah and others, the committee continued to meet to discuss plaza enhancements and events to ensure Dr. King’s legacy as an advocate for peace, equality, and justice. It has not been a totally smooth ride.
In April, white supremacist slogans were painted on the MLK display by parties still unknown. Reclaiming the space, the community gathered peacefully placing flowers and artifacts in remembrance of those who had been killed by police and white supremacists. It transformed the plaza from a maltreated canvas denigrated by racist graffiti to a sacred shrine of fallen heroes, much like the one erected by the people in Minneapolis at George Floyd’s death site.
Last weekend after President Joe Biden signed a bill that proclaimed June 19 to be Juneteenth, a federal holiday, a celebration was organized by Leslie Laing, Terry Watson and Lorraine Jones, president of the local NAACP. It drew hundreds of people to the plaza. We listened to proclamations, poems, music, theatrical presentations. We celebrated our liberation from the pandemic. It was a high point in the history of the plaza.
Afterward the borough’s crew, while cleaning up, also threw away the materials from the shrine. People were righteously outraged and hurt. Speaking at the Borough Council meeting, Tierra Williams, local activist and Democratic Party nominee for the Ferguson Township supervisor said, “The borough has not only desecrated a sacred ground, but has shown the entire community that Black lives really don’t matter here, and that those murdered by the police can be picked up and thrown in the trash at any given moment.”
When confronted, Tom Fountaine, the borough manager, apologized and said that the disposal was a mistake.“We regret that this happened. It was unintentional and we’ve made a commitment to help rebuild the memorial as it was with those in the community. ... We do apologize for this very unfortunate event.”
At the same meeting, I thanked Tom for his apology, saying “that kind of humility is one of the things that we’re going to need to get through this process. ... Some of you are dear friends and I love all of you.”
For saying that, I apologize — not for saying I love you. Love never requires an apology. I am sorry for not continuing. I should have said:
All of us should love each other. You should especially love the people that you represent, all of the people. We must learn and then teach that which people find sacred. To disregard that which is important to others is to diminish their basic humanity. It is a manifestation of institutional racism. If we are to get through these difficult times, your governance, our behavior, must begin with a respect and a deep caring for the people.
That is what I should have said. To those hurt by my neglect I am sorry.
Love and struggle on our difficult journey together. Ubuntu.