06/23/2024
I began documenting Martin Luther King Jr. Way in March 2019, just nine months after moving to the Bay Area from Memphis. There, I had covered events and stories that led up to the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. King in 2018. Due to my home's proximity to the National Civil Rights Museum, formerly the Lorraine Motel, I would frequently pass by the wreath that hung outside of Room 306, the site where he was murdered on April 4, 1968.
This project began when I came across MLK Jr. Way at West Grand Avenue in Oakland. I saw an encampment that included people who looked like me. I wondered what Dr. King would think about seeing Black people sleeping in tents on that street. As I traveled along the street, I saw corner markets, empty lots, a billboard that advertised gambling, graffiti and a lack of green spaces.
Driving to the other end of this 6-mile arterial street in Berkeley felt like viewing the 1939 film, "The Wizard of Oz," when the picture transforms from black and white to Technicolor. In Berkeley, I saw yoga studios, a farmers market, a wine bar, well-maintained parks, tennis and basketball courts, a Trader Joe’s, a billboard displaying the schedule of a UC Berkeley athletic team and immaculate homes with residents walking their pets. Dr. King’s image adorns a series of small street signs at nearly every corner.
I decided I needed to document this roadway, and to meet the diverse communities along its path. I met residents like Annette Miller, who was born in her home in the 600 block of 30th Street, off of MLK Jr. Way, then Grove St., on June 1, 1966. A couple of months before her second birthday, the civil rights leader was slain.
Miller, a City of Oakland employee, hosts a yearly street cleanup at Durant Mini Park near her home each MLK Day. A few years ago, she enlisted elementary school children to design a banner with the likeness of Dr. King.
I also met Devin McDonald, part-owner of Mr. Mopps’ Children’s Books and Toys, whose store is at the northern end of MLK Jr. Way at the corner of Rose Street in Berkeley.
Wherever my exploration took me, I had delightful and informative discussions with interesting people who lived, worked, worshiped or played along MLK Jr. Way. Over the course of five years, they have been gracious and generous with their time and energy, sharing with me what makes this street unique.
This year, the 56th anniversary of Dr. King’s death, my hope is for our community to pause and reflect upon his dream and where we are headed. It’s time we envision a pathway for home ownership for the poor, ensure access to nutritious foods for all, to interrupt unnecessary violence, and to make this and every street safe enough for all its residents. To truly honor Dr. King, MLK Jr. Way should be a vibrant street, home to a plethora of hopes, dreams, and equality for all.
