MLK Day of Service

The CNN videos and a feature presentation about Martin Luther King Day of Service, with a tag, "Words that changed a nation" were immensely inspiring. There was something I could do, something I could contribute, however small it might be, or so, I thought.



Image source: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

I have always known the 16th street Baptist Church, the bombing of which "galvanized" the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama, was somewhere close by. Not too far, It took less than 5 minutes to figure out where it was. 5 PM is a good time I thought some pictures from the outside and maybe find out some information if I can meet any Men of God. Called upon good friend Dr.Rajani who was kind enough to accompany me.



Image source: http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/al11.htm

The first building I stopped between 15th and 16th Street was a Methodist church, address was very close by but I was looking for a Baptist church. Well, at least on this day I didn't expect that area of downtown to be so isolated. As I was driving by, one homeless brother walked past the other side of the road. Homeless people on the other side of the road is always safe, on the same side it's probably safe on Southside Birmingham, not downtown. Especially, for foreigners, never have I passed beyond 5th Ave S without being stopped and asked for money. Once or twice it's fine, persistence is a problem. In the fine line between pity and paranoia, paranoia wins, why take risk?, lurks in the background.

Usually during lunch time, there are around 60-70 people walking in the same area as I do. I have experienced more than once, my appearance (read skin color) makes me a "subject" they can approach for. It's probably easy to intimidate foreigners, they think. Just because the body language is different, hair style and maybe clothes are different too.

Anyways, I went around 6th Ave N again and stopped this time on 16th Street Corner and looked right, the building I was looking for was right there, but some kind of construction was going on and there was no way I could get an unobstructed view for a picture. I got out anyway to look, 2 homeless brothers a few 100 feet away started walking towards my parked car. Just a minute ago, they were moving away from the car while I was driving. I'm fine, but the camera...No.I can't take the risk. Doc won't allow me to anyway, "It's not safe, he said. Why don't you come back in the morning". But I knew, once the weekday started, laziness would take over..."you have enough to do, you've enough to do"....it keeps lurking in the back of the mind.




Image: From Answers.com

As I started back home, after an unsuccessful attempt, I began thinking. Why are a majority of homeless, from the minority community? Especially in downtown, why when in India, homeless always deserved pity, why do we fear them here? Isn't the government here equipped enough to take care of them, when will downtown be safe enough after hours?


Dr. King's dream of equality is almost true today, while we in India haven't been able to come to terms with the caste inequalities burning us down to the nadir, minorities and majorities here have narrowed down their differences much better than we have handled our caste differences. I have a dream too before I leave this country, I want to see a downtown where homeless guys if they exist are not feared, but genuinely showered pity on, and then if I were to ask my own conscience, "Was the homeless guy I just passed by, Black or White? I want my conscience to reply, "I don't know, I'm color blind".