Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 14 January 2004 — Page 8

Page 8 • The Muncie Times • January 14 ( 2004

are entitled to equal treatment under law." That contradiction was too great to stand up under

public scrutiny.

: I returned to Muneie with

T'ik

I would be remiss, if I sons were able, to go to did not mention that in all of college and graduated. To

these endeavors there were date, four of our eight enlightened people from the, grandchildren * have majority community that- graduated from college and were instrumental in making .the sixth is a junior at

a strengthened these changes happen,-in .Baldwin Wallace Uniyersity is a signal that forcesofthe the

determination to change it Muncie. I will not name any in Cleveland, Ohio, and and make it a community of them because I know I will be studying in England

that I will life long enoug| to be around to celebrate that great day when Dr;. King's dream comes tru

we could all be proud to call our home. With renewed vigor, I worked with others to establish the Muncie Human Rights Commission, t was personally involved in breaking the color bar at the

Muncie. I will not name any of them because I know I •will leave put some Very deserving people. I do not want to do that.. But suffice it is to say that there wgre leading business, professional people. Ball State professors, church

It is obvious the job is

not finished and the wake up call we received last year over the attempted renaming

of Broadway (as Martin when "all citizens of thi; Luther King Jr. Boulevard) country will be judged o i

content of thei •

status quo arfe alive and character and not the coin •

well.

Muncie Fire Department. 1 leaders, labor leaders, also became the first black political leaders and many

elected to the Muncie School Board. That effort included upgrading all schools so that all children attended modem, safe, welllit, easy access and easy egress schools. We also

others. • Muncie would not and could not have changed without the goodwill, commitment, work and sacrifices of many of its

in a few weeks. The other two are still too young for college. But we expect them to continue the tradition and, hopefully, their children will follow in their

footsteps.

The only downside I see is that our two sons left Muncie to succeed^and other communities *are. benefiting from their contributions. As a community, we must figure a way to open opportunities to keep as many of our children here after we work

citizens.

accelerated the hiring of .. But have things really

black teachers and started changed in' Muncie? You so hard to rrtake them the process that ultimately bet. My family is a good citizens capable of making a led to the hiring of the first example. I did not have the strong contribution to the African American school opportunity to go to college, quality of life here in

superintendent in Muncie. But, thankfully, both of our Muncie.

Having ben born here in Muncie at a time when the KKK ruled the city and living through the Great Depression, serving my country during World War IT, having a brother who lost his life fighting in the Korean War, witnessing and working to change this country and our community during the civil rights revolution of the 1950s and 1960s, the Vietnam War and the current 9/11 crisis, I have no doubt that this country and the Muncie community will live up to their constitutional promise of liberty and justice for all their citizens. • My fondest dream is

of their shin."- And on tha; day, "we can all joi| together , black, whites' Native American, Hispanic?, Asian, Jew, Gentile, Islami| and sing That old Negr© spiritual, ’Free at last. Fret at last, thank God Almighty

we are free at last."’ Because of Dr. Kir*

and his work and the worf of so many who sacrifice and died to make it a real if ^ I predict that America wi one day live up to th^

dream.

Hurley C. Goodalt,. retired member of ih Indiana General Assembl is a visiting scholar at Ba ' State University's Centerfok Middletown Studies in

Muncie.

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