Black History Month Reflection: Keepers of The Dream
By Rev. Dr. Alfonso Wyatt
I wish to thank The Doe Fund for the opportunity to write about Black history intertwined with my life experience. I also want to acknowledge Doe Fund founders George and Harriet McDonald for their vision, dedication, and sacrifice. George McDonald would often say: Work Works. Dr. King went to Memphis twice to support a strike by Black sanitation workers to add his name and face to the cause. I believe deep down in my heart that Dr. King knew Work Works, evidenced by striking workers who wore a placard exclaiming I AM A Man. Implicit in this statement is that a man with a job is able to provide for his family, and strong families strengthen the community.
I received an invitation to give a speech in Memphis, TN, several decades ago. I was excited because it was my first time there. After I gave my presentation, I asked my host if someone could take me to visit the Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. I was told that this would not be a good place to go because it was in a dangerous neighborhood (this was several decades before the site became a National Civil Rights Museum). I thought, if Dr. King came to Memphis to protest and support striking Black sanitation workers amidst swirling violence, surely I could visit the Lorraine Motel to pay my respects.
I was given directions, and off I went. I walked down a major stretch on Beale Street. On the way, I stopped to look at the many Confederate monuments. I passed by the tourist attractions, namely B.B. King’s Blues Club and various eating establishments. After about a mile-and-a-half walk, I saw the Lorraine Motel’s ubiquitous signage. I had reached my destination. I took a seat on a crumbling wall across from the motel. I looked for where I imagined The Dreamer stood. I did my best to triangulate where the fatal bullet began its murderous journey. I imagined the confusion and fear after the shot was fired. I was transfixed by the imagery and saddened by the savagery. I shed a tear for the Dreamer who was cut down before his 40th birthday. I sat for several hours, challenged by the thought: Martin, was it worth your life being taken in such a cruel manner?
When I look at the transformed lives of men and women in The Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing & Able program, it is clear even to this day that Work Works. I salute the staff of The Doe Fund for your ever-pressing effort to be difference-makers in the lives of thousands who have been part of the program. I am grateful to have played a role in inspiring Doe Fund staff and participants.
“But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop… I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”
Keep the Dream alive…
