The legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Our journey and our work
Every year, on the third Monday of January, we celebrate the life and legacy of civil and human rights leader, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—and honor our County’s namesake. This year, the holiday lands on Jan. 15, which is also the birthday of Dr. King.
Annually, King County honors Dr. King’s memory with a celebration, which is led by yearly theme and quote. The theme for this year’s event was Passing the Torch, Continuing the Journey, inspired by a quote from Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King III: “The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more.”
This theme resonates deeply with me and what we are currently facing at Metro and the work we are doing to become an anti-racist organization. Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to attend a virtual tour of the Rosa Parks Museum, organized for Metro employees by our Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EIB) team. The presentation was powerful, engaging, and inspiring.
Learning more about the tens of thousands of people who participated in the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the role they played in the advancement of civil rights and transit equity underscores that mobility is a human right. Not only was the boycott considered the first large-scale U.S. demonstration against segregation, but it also helped improve transportation access for many minorities and vulnerable populations. The leadership of Rosa Parks and Dr. King reminds us that to heal the injustices of racism, we must continue to commit to undoing systemic racism by speaking up, by challenging racist actions and the status quo and by being accountable.
Metro continues to understand the tasks that face us, and we work every day to meet our expectations and those of our riders who depend on us to get to work, to school, or a night out with friends. We also know in doing this we must balance the rights of everyone who uses our system. Those tasks include:
Keeping our employees and passengers safe.
It is important our employees and riders feel safe working and riding on Metro. In 2023, we increased security on our buses and at our transit centers. Our priority for this security presence is one of care and to not perpetuate inequities. I’m proud of the Behavioral Health Team that assists our operators; they build relationships with communities who may be vulnerable or in crisis and try to solve their needs. We are continuing to listen to the challenges some of our employees and riders face to better identify ways we can improve our system.
Ensuring that our buses come when people expect them.
We worked hard in 2023 to stabilize service to increase consistency and to focus that service on the communities where we know people have limited transportation options. We also know that our service patterns are changing, and we are continuing to adapt our service to support all-day connections.
Our journey is not complete, and we still have many challenges ahead to reach Dr. King’s “Beloved Community.” Metro’s part in reaching that destination is to always remember the service we provide is transformative. The 5,000 people who are a part of Metro—each and every one of you—understand the responsibility to help everyone who boards a bus, Access paratransit, streetcar, Link light rail, and the Water Taxi get to where they need to go, and to offer the respect and dignity they deserve.
Public transit helps connect people to opportunities to better their lives. Being able to get to school, a job, or a medical appointment can be life changing. Our focus will continue on building a system that is safe, accessible, affordable, reliable and equitable to provide those transformative opportunities.
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.