#mlk drive

[kontextmaschine]

Hear Martin Luther King, Jr. referred to as MLK, like "em-ell-kay", like FDR or JFK or LBJ, more than I remember in the '80s and '90s.

Kind of wonder if it has to do with the relative frequencies of how often he gets invoked as a prominent American figure and how often as a street name

[brattylikestoeat]

Hood Tings

[ashlumi]

[threadatl]

A look at Atlanta's inequality through the lens of MLK Drive

Below are four images of Atlanta are taken from a new interactive map of all U.S. streets that are named after Martin Luther King, Jr. -- you can see our MLK Drive as the thick line to the west.

The first two images show where White and Black residents live. The geographic segregation of the city by race is likely well known, but seeing that divide in terms of how it lies upon the street named after Dr. King is particularly thought provoking. What would he think about this segregation if he were alive today?

These next two maps show where the highest percentage of residents with college degrees live, and where the median home values are the highest.

In both cases, the benefits fall upon the majority-White parts of the city — ones that are fairly disconnected from MLK Drive. This is a road that was named for a man who spoke about equal education and economic justice is noteworthy.

Are we taking Dr. King’s message of equality and justice to heart in his home town? Looking at the street we’ve named for him, one has to wonder.

Probably the most significant thing that’s happened to MLK Drive in a decade (or more) is the re-routing of it. The street was reconfigured dramatically in Downtown a few years ago in order to make room for the Mercedes-Benz stadium.

>> Read the full post about this on the ThreadATL website.

[flommus]

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–68)