Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of a beloved community is under threat. It is a dream of a community grounded in peace, justice and a fair sharing of resources and wealth. It is a dream rooted in the biblical vision of a covenant community, dear to the hearts of Hebrew prophets such as Amos and Micah, who were dear to the heart of King.
Recently, the Human Rights Campaign released its annual Municipal Equality Index, which assigns cities in each state a score based on steps taken towards LGBTQ+ equality and safety. Spokane earned 67 points out of 100, while Pullman was given a score of 56.
In the wake of Trayvon Martin’s death on Feb. 26, 2012, and now again in the aftermath of the acquittal of his shooter, George Zimmerman, many commentators have speculated on how the outcome might have been different if some critical aspect of the case were different. I call this the What If game. For example, “What if Martin were white?”