Amarillo Is Changing - Slowly

On the third Monday of January most of this nation will be celebrating a national holiday.   It will be the 24th national celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the United States.   President Reagan signed the bill creating the holiday in 1983, and it was first officially celebrated in 1986.   Of course there were some die-hard states who didn't start celebrating the holiday in that year.

Some states didn't recognize the holiday for years, and other states combined it with another holiday (so the racists could have the holiday without calling it MLK Day).   Texas was one of those latter states.   Texas committed the particularly egregious sin of combining MLK Day with Confederate Heroes Day, and for years the two holidays were celebrated on the same day.

But instead of fading (as many racists thought it would), the legend and remembrance of Dr. King just grew exponentially.   It grew to the point in most people's minds to where there was little doubt that Dr. King was a hero and refusal to honor him with a holiday began to be considered almost un-American.   A very few years ago the state of Texas separated the MLK Day holiday from Confederate Heroes Day (which is sadly still celebrated as a state holiday -- just not on the same day that MLK Day is celebrated).

If you've read this blog for long, then you've probably heard me say that the Panhandle region of Texas is one of the reddest (most Republican) areas of the state (and probably the country).   You're in serious trouble if you're trying to run for elected office as a Democrat in the Panhandle.   And it's not just in elections where this right-wing (and fairly racist) attitude is displayed.

It seems that the MLK Day holiday is not one of the biggest celebrations in the region (except among the minority and liberal communities), and that is especially true among the school districts -- embarrassingly true.   There are 65 public school districts and charter schools in the Panhandle region.   Here is how they are treating the MLK Day holiday this year (the 2010-2011 school year):

• Four school districts gave the holiday to students and staff this year.

• Jan. 17 is a regular school day for 28 school districts.

• Eighteen school districts (including Amarillo) give students the day off, but not staff.

• Thirteen districts have scheduled a district or student holiday within a week of the national observance.

That's pretty pathetic.   Fortunately, the Amarillo Independent School District has announced they will finally be joining the rest of America next year -- the 25th official celebration of the national holiday.   The Amarillo School Board has announced that beginning next year (the 2011-2012 school year) the MLK Day holiday will be given to both students and staff.

School Board member James Allen said,   "We're just recognizing the diversity here, and that's a positive for Amarillo.   We're making the decision now that's right for Amarillo."   Floyd Anthony, president of the Amarillo NAACP, agrees.   He said,   "If we're going to celebrate his birthday, we need to include everyone, and that includes the teachers as well."

I appreciate the Amarillo School Board's action, but I believe that far too many people in the Panhandle consider MLK Day to be just an African-American holiday.   That has never been true and I think Dr. King would be very disappointed with that attitude.   Dr. King believed in and fought for equal rights for ALL Americans.   Mr. Allen echoed this sentiment when he went on to say,   "It's not a recognition for African-Americans; it's for all Americans."

It looks like Amarillo is finally entering the 20th Century.   We can only hope that with a little encouragement it will soon enter the 21st Century as well.