By Audrey Peterman
On the anniversary of what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s 95th birthday Monday, January 15, and the 56th year since his assassination, I am encouraged by how he might feel looking back. Yes, our country is in a maelstrom he could never have foreseen, but it is also on the cusp of a great breakthrough of Black leadership at this pivotal time in our history.
Because I’m an environ-mentalist devoted to publicizing America’s undeveloped lands that are protected for the benefit of this and future generations, I can appreciate the physical reality of Dr. King, probably better than most. I’ve stood in his childhood bedroom in the house on Auburn Avenue in Atlanta where he was born, looked at his crib and the little toys he played with. I’ve walked through the historical artifacts of his life at the Old Ebenezer Baptist Church and the halls of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park, including the wagon that took his body through the streets at his funeral.
I’ve breathed the delicate sweets scent of the abundant varieties in Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s World Peace Rose Garden. And I’ve stood in reverence before the reflecting pool holding the tombs of Dr. and Mrs. King, the Eternal Flame burning steadily nearby. Anyone can have all these experiences any day of the week on one short trip to the national park which protects them in the Sweet Auburn District. (The Birth Home is currently undergoing repairs.)
I am inspired today to honor Dr. King and the King Family’s work and legacy by recognizing the park’s longtime superintendent, our beloved friend Judy Forte, who retired at the end of December after a 45-year career in the National Park Service. Superintendent Forte has skillfully shepherded the park through many transitions – including the restoration of the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and the arduous process of getting it elevated from Historic Site to Historic Park, a higher federal designation.
While managing staff and the physical properties, she easily welcomed more than a million national and international guests each year. (The National Park System had 312 million visitors in 2022.) She also made sure the park remained grounded in the community with events including campouts for young people and families on the park’s large green space.
Bon Voyage, beloved Superintendent Forte! You served honorably and well, with extraordinary grace and dedication.
Other national park sites that protect Dr. King’s legacy include the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall and Memorial Parks in Washington DC. Having visited all of them, I can tell you that nothing gave me a bigger thrill than his life story – from birth to death, at the MLK Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta.
When Black Americans choose to visit these and other units of the National Park System spread across the country it will solve two problems.
First, we will feel so proud of all our ancestors accomplished from exploring, building, defending, and supporting this country in every way, as we walk in our ancestors’ footsteps at the places where they made history, or places significant to their lives.
Secondly, it will greatly increase our sense of patriotism and the stakes we must protect in the upcoming Presidential elections.
Third, we will laugh in the faces of the un-American forces that are trying in vain to suppress our history. WE will know it can’t be suppressed since it’s on the land and authorized by conservative Congresses from many years ago until today.
Fourth. we will crack the code of why Black Americans get the least benefit from the national park system and are the lowest numbers in visitation and employment. Superintendent Forte’s retirement marks a steep decline in the Black leadership throughout the system which is plagued by discontent and dissatisfaction among its predominantly white workforce. This is something we’re going to need to address this year.
Why do I think Dr. King would be proud? Because I just got a list of names of Black CEOs in the environmental space that has knocked me off my feet. What this leadership is on the verge of bringing is going to help change the world. Happy Birthday Dr. King! Thank you for your service!
(Audrey Peterman has been an author and environmental thought leader since 1995. Book her at WWW.DELNSB.com)
