To open, said Sr. Montero, he would pose a question. “Why so much hate? That is what I want to know. I presented the stories about Martin Luther King to my students, and we the read the stories as hate.”
Newspaper: Not only was there a single black panelist, there were few blacks in the audience to hear the message of King Day.
Sr. Montero: This was the first year for the program at the Senior Center, and maybe the crowd will grow. The forum may not have been the best. But there is a way to let people know instead of criticizing (publicly), in a negative way. This is something that is good. I feel it is really good. Maybe some people think the program would be better if the forum were changed. But I don’t see it that way. The organizers were well-intentioned people. They were trying to do something good for Culver City, and all of the stories were so critical.
Newspaper: I would argue Dr. King was not about generic concern for all the peoples of the world, but specifically about gaining equality for all black people, who never had enjoyed any state approaching equal treatment. Ninety-nine percent of his message was to inspire his people to pull themselves up.
Sr. Montero: All of the great movements started with the leader of a single group influencing the leaders of bigger groups. That was the way it was with Martin Luther King in his time. He was a great man, and he fought for social justice. Now we are in the 21st century, and the information is different. This is the way Martin Luther King would be fighting and talking if he were alive now. I can’t say for sure. But I believe he would be doing the same thing.
Newspaper: Begging to differ, when George Washington is honored, people don’t debate about the way he would have fought the Vietnam War or the Iraqi War. They cite his achievements in his time. The virtually exclusive emphasis on diversity at the Senior Center seemed to be an attempt to revise history.
Sr. Montero: We can go around and around with our rationales. For me, Martin Luther King has two aspects, one political, one spiritual. Politically, he paved the way for the many Muslims who came later. We can talk later about his spiritual aspect. I would love to talk about it.
Next: Part II
