Spirit of King's message missing in holiday debate

e-mail this story discuss this issue in our forums Guest column • Brad Wyche: Sanford delivers a strong message on quality of life (02/18/03) • Ed Leap: Winter's inclement weather launches us back in time (02/17/03) • Greg Nunnally: Spirit of King's message missing in holiday debate (02/17/03) • Bruce Ransom and David Woodard: Will Greenville maintain its reputation in the 21st century? (02/16/03) • Rep. John L. Scott and Phil Noble: Cure for ailing Democratic Party easy to swallow (02/14/03) • Caesar R. Richburg: A vision for 'A New Greenville' shouldn't be shortsighted (02/14/03) • Carol Reeves: Raise cigarette tax to prevent teenagers from smoking (02/13/03) • Brian Sulmonetti: BellSouth hoping to squeeze out the competition (02/12/03) • Ed Leap: Betrothal could be the answer (02/11/03) • Sam Coates III: Eastside High must be rebuilt, expanded for the future (02/10/03) • Mark Sanford: Service to country supersedes all other commitments (02/10/03) • David Shi: Desire for a new life drove the black exodus into the heart of Kansas (02/09/03) • Mike Fair: Those who cause the problem should pay for the solution (02/08/03) • Seldon Pedon: King holiday deserves fair, thoughtful consideration (02/07/03) • Bob Inglis: We must change tactics as battlefield conditions change (02/06/03) • Patricia Harrison: Common sense helpful when surfing the Web (02/05/03) More details Greg Nunnally is an architectural designer at a local engineering firm and a freelance writer. He can be reached at gcnunnally@aol.com.

The County Council's intransigence — which allowed this issue to turn into a debate over whether Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a renowned civil rights icon, was worthy of an official county observance — has been disgraceful. That debate was fought and settled 20 years ago when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill designating the third Monday in January as the national MLK holiday. Moreover, all 50 states have since passed resolutions observing the holiday. Closer to home, out of 46 counties, all but seven in the state of South Carolina observe the January birthday of the slain civil rights leader. Based on those facts, it then appears that Greenville County is one of a select group of holdouts resistant to support what most governments already have.

The council's objection to the addition of another government holiday because of its expense is reasonable only so far as in these lean economic times, fiscal restraint is often necessary. However, fiscal prudence aside, it's hard to fathom that Greenville County — the largest and one of the wealthiest counties in the state — can't find the funds to commit to this honorable purpose when 39 smaller and less prosperous counties have. And the council's suggestion to allow the holiday to be selectively chosen as a floating holiday conveniently skirts the issue of why they are challenging the merit of honoring MLK day with others officially observed by the county.

As for Rev. Jackson's involvement, being a Greenville native does afford him some legitimacy on pursuing this local issue, but his notorious reputation for stirring controversy is also compromising the merit of his cause. The often polarizing civil rights activist has employed peaceful, yet impassioned, means to encourage county leaders to honor King's legacy with a paid holiday observance. And while his efforts are noteworthy, his familiar "we shall overcome" crusade isn't.

If the true objective is to celebrate the value of King's legacy, why is it essential for county employees to have a paid day off to achieve that? Every year in January, an endless array of meaningful MLK day observances are held throughout the nation to pay homage to Dr. King's enduring message on civil rights. The Greenville area celebrated the day in similar custom with special multiethnic church services, memorials and other commemorative events.

The furor over the MLK holiday is a typical example of leaders not seeing the forest for the trees. Some Greenville County Council members seem to be hardening their position on a reasonable issue because of their personal disdain for Rev. Jackson's involvement. Likewise, Jackson's passion for victory is blinding him to recognizing that the true meaning of how we celebrate the legacy of Dr. King is not limited to, or defined by virtue of government compensation alone.

Most business don't observe MLK day as a paid holiday for employees either; nevertheless, meaningful community observances are held just the same. I say this not to dismiss the case for elevating the holiday to the same status as other official county observances, but to point out that the real value of a holiday shouldn't be measured by its incidental compensatory benefit.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is too often narrowly regarded as a hero of black America when in fact, his universal message of nonviolent social change, racial unity and equality stretches across all boundaries of race, religion and culture. His profound impact on the direction of this country and our collective humanity is immeasurable.

It would have been a welcome gesture for Greenville County to have joined the ranks of other state and county governments that decided his noble legacy was worth honoring. But as is annually affirmed by the memorializing zeal of many MLK day observers, celebrating the spirit of Dr. King's message is more important than our concern over holiday symbolism.