As I was running through Atlanta’s Hartsfield airport Saturday afternoon late for yet another flight, I was frozen in my footsteps when I encountered a sign that read “Segregation is the Negro’s burden and America’s shame.” The sign was of a quote by the late Martin Luther King, Jr. and branded by the NAACP. Original in it’s form, the sign made me pause and take a look around.
On average, I fly at least twice a week, but never before had I taken a moment to truly appreciate the racial and ethnic convergence that an airport brings. The sign literally created a sense of awareness that I had not felt in quite some time. You see, I can only speak for myself, but desegregation is all my generation has ever known. Sure we’ve heard the stories of pain and strife. My parents fought the fight for equality alongside the late MLK, Jr. and so many unsung heroes of their day.
Yet, this Saturday afternoon, as I read the sign and then looked around, I felt a connectedness I had never quite felt before. As thousands upon thousands of people of all races filled the terminals of this mammoth airport, and I turned to the television screens to see our magnificent African-American President giving a speech, I had to stop and just say, wow, God is good.
There was a time that segregation was America’s shame, and although we will not forget the past, let’s take a moment to not only commend Black people, but all people for how far we have come.
This is no longer America’s shame, but America’s time of hope and we are blessed to be here to witness such a transformational time in our history. Our work is far from done, but we would be remised not to acknowledge where we are in this journey.
By the way, I made my flight. Until next time…
Valeisha Butterfield
