SR: NAACP Head Visit Fosters Talk

Benjamin Todd Jealous, head of the NAACP, (led a march in Spokane Sunday) to commemorate the 43rd anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. After the walk from Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to Riverfront Park, he (delivered) a speech. For some, his appearance will shine an unwanted spotlight on the Inland Northwest. Spokane was chosen because of the bomb found at a Martin Luther King Day Jr. march on Jan. 17, which added to the area’s litany of white supremacist activities. … Some who are skeptical of Jealous’ visit wonder when the commotion about racism will ever end. Probably never. No community has ever stamped out the darkness that infects the hearts and minds of bigots. But public soul-searching itself has a cleansing effect. We prefer to view his appearance as an honor and another opportunity to have a forthright discussion about race and tolerance/ Spokesman-Review Editorial Board . More here. (SR photo/J. Bart Rayniak, of Benjamin Jealous at Spokane parade)

Question: Do you view the visit by Benjamin Todd Jealous, head of the NCAAP, to lead the MLK Day march in Spokane Sunday as a positive event or a negative one?