MLK JR Day!

Katie and I talked about where we could go volunteer today, to make MLK day a “day on” rather than a “day off.”  There were a few projects going on across town, mostly landscaping related.  When we woke up today and saw the beautiful weather, we had no choice — today would be a day at the beach teaching kids to slackline!  We were happy to see so many smiling faces at the beach, and so many enthusiastic new junior slackliners.  One girl I talked with, who was probably 4 or 5, told me she knew who Martin Luther King was, that he had “changed the laws,” and that “black people couldn’t ride at the front of the bus before, but now they can.”  She and another girl and I all agreed this was a pretty good thing, that everyone is treated equally.

I put together a quick montage of some of the MLK slackline happenings at Golden Gardens.  The music is Wyclef Jean, which I felt particularly fitting, both because of the lyrics to the song, and that Wyclef is from Haiti.  If you’ve been under a rock for the last week, Haiti was rocked by a devastating earthquake and needs our help.  Consider donating to Partners In Health or The Red Cross.  The lyrics are here, and a newer version of the song is here.  In case you’re wondering about the “tell the children the truth.  The truth: Christopher Columbus didn’t discover America” line near the end, Columbus discovered the island of Hispaniola (which is now Haiti + Dominican Republic)