Article January 16, 2006 Issue

CLOSING UP THE CHASM

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY IS JANUARY 16, 2006

BY ROSALIE E. DUNBAR

"Get in the cab and don't get out until he's taken you back to where you belong." A photographer and I were working on a short article for a university newspaper, and the man who said this to us was an African American who had been showing us a part of New York City that was extremely dangerous. Caucasians weren't welcome to go there and take pictures of devastation. This man's purpose was to keep us from harm, and he had personally chosen the cab to make sure we'd get back to the university safely. His caring for us was a bridge over the chasm in our two worlds, black and white.

That was close to 40 years ago, and while there has been tremendous progress in some areas, the chasm still looms large—economically, socially, politically. It's one piece of a global picture of separation between racial, religious, and ethnic groups.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday is being celebrated this month, knew well the dangers of explosive frustration and helplessness. He strove to break down the stereotypes and mental templates that keep people from seeing their common humanity, no matter what their skin color. He resisted what he called the "thingification" of human beings. From his earnest labors in the cause of civil rights, he knew that human action for change had to be undergirded with prayer. And today prayer, along with prayer-inspired action, continues to be the best way to bring about change.

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