Olympic Lockdown

Sochi was not expected to be a problem for the Olympics. Nice little seaside town on its way to being a real resort. The Winter Olympics came along and the government started pumping money into the town like it was Dawson City during the Gold Rush.

Security has always been an issue for the 10 Olympiads where I have played a role. It seemed like London was going to be difficult until the government there rallied law enforcement and the military and the Games ultimately came off without any significant glitches. Others like Atlanta were surprises that were dealt with in a reactionary way. But now we’re encountering something new that is a clear sign of our fragile times…direct threats and intelligence that confirms the potentially deadly prospects.

 

My weekly conference calls with organizers were filled with terrorism discussion, even before the Volgograd bombings. One important piece of the discussions has been the strong suspicion that these threats are targeted.  Not indiscriminate public places but specific targets such as corporate meetings, visiting dignitaries, athletes and even athlete’s families. Some countries are now considering staying home altogether. Athletes families have been strongly cautioned about the potential danger of attending.

Our most recent call turned its attention to those of us working for the Games. Many assignments are on-site where the competitions are being held. Much of what I have been asked to do over the years is behind the scenes, in meeting rooms and hotels surrounding the venues. The decision has now been made to do any job remotely that can be done effectively that way. The organizers don’t want to endanger the working group nor do they want to divert the prime security efforts away from the athletes and venues in any way.

This is the right decision. Safety first. But I am disappointed that I will miss spending time with my good friend Viktor Yazykov who was a competitor in our around the world sailing race. A native of Sochi, he is former Russian Army Special Forces involved directly in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. And he really knows how to drink vodka. However, as one might say, I would rather live to drink another day, than to be looking over my shoulder all the time and cringing each time I step up to turn on the computer in the media center.

As we discussed on the call, this is one of those times where the need for assistance away from the problem is essential. I won't be on the ground like in this 2010 screenshot, where I was talking to Jane as she was watching the live coverage on the east coast. I’ll be Skyping and watching streaming feeds from all the venues. We all want these Games to be safe but the threats are real and we’re told that the “Black Widows” that we have read about are likely to already be inside the city. And it’s not a stretch to think that they will target families because they’ve lost their own.  I’ll give you some periodic updates. There will undoubtedly be new wrinkles to this story every day. My 11^th Olympics are going to be most unusual.

Dr. Martin Luther King lives in our hearts

In the late 1980’s, my involvement with the Seattle Community Colleges ramped up considerably. At that time, I first got know my good friend Dr. Charles Mitchell, then the president of Seattle Central Community College and later chancellor of the community college district.  His commitment to education and to the city of Seattle inspired me greatly.  Soon after, I joined the board of the Seattle Central Foundation and discovered it was the community colleges that were responsible for bringing our city together to celebrate the inspiration of Dr. Martin Luther King. The event that is held each year on the Friday before the national holiday is this community’s most heartfelt and compassionate remembrance of Dr. King and his dream, in my opinion.

This is the 40^th anniversary of the celebration, held at the time of Dr. King’s birthday. It began as a community brotherhood gathering, encouraged by Rev. Samuel B. McKinney, now pastor emeritus of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church. He is one of this community’s most respected elders, who I am privileged to know. He was a classmate of Dr. King at Morehouse College in Atlanta.  The first event was held in Reverend McKinney’s home church with the pastor himself making the remarks. The celebration moved around the city for the next few years before it settled back at Mt. Zion where it happens annually to this day.

This is my 25^th visit and I can’t tell you how many hands I’ve held while we all sang “We Shall Overcome” led by the amazing baritone voice of Reverend McKinney or how many deviled eggs made by the ladies of the church that I have eaten at the post-reception. (I love deviled eggs.) I was most fortunate to be raised in a military family where race was never a concern. That makes my bond to Dr. King and this event even stronger.  A standing room only crowd has packed the building each year to watch, listen and revel in the dream of Dr. King and the reality that it has become. We’ve  attracted speakers from every walk of life…businessmen, civil rights leaders, global patriots, artists, professional sports players, cause creators and more…who have each been touched by the message of equality for all. And an impressive group of those who run and make our city a vibrant, exciting place to live, attend as well, from first responders to city and county council members, the mayor, the King County executive and many state legislators. (The name of our county was redesignated in honor of Dr. King in 1986.)

One thing about this celebration is for certain. You can’t leave a Baptist Church before hearing some heart-lifting music. Cheering, clapping, stomping, shouting and singing are irresistible urges when the choir begins to perform. I’ve always been moved by the music but, a few years ago, a young man named DaNell Daymon brought in an all-star cast from the community and blew the roof off the place.  I encouraged him to enter the annual McDonald’s Gospelfest in New York City, billed as the largest collection of gospel talent ever assembled. It took some doing but we helped the group make the trip and, guess what?  They won the closing night contest!  DaNell is joining us again this year with a group that is sure to knock our socks off.  I can hardly wait.

There are only three people with their names on our country's national holidays…Christopher Columbus, George Washington and Martin Luther King. Dr. King came to Seattle one time. It was in 1961 at the urging of his close friend, Reverend McKinney. There is a story about that visit which says a lot about Seattle. I’ll let you read it here, if you’re interested. http://bit.ly/1d4ONRs  We’re taking a new road this year for the 40^th Anniversary celebration under the guidance of current community college district chancellor, Dr. Jill Wakefield.  Our speaker will be Michele Norris, national NPR correspondent and creator of The Race Card Project (TRCP). Over the past three years, TRCP has encouraged participants to share their thoughts, experiences and observations about race in one sentence with only six words.

“An individual matters. Not his race.” “Grateful to have been raised color-blind.” “But where are you really from?” “You must be better to succeed.” “Humanity does not recognize race differences.” Just a sampling of the thousands of responses that Michele has received via the web, mail and social media. None of this 140 characters stuff. Just six words.  When we first sat down to discuss the 40^th Anniversary event, I wrote across the top of my folder “I only look like I’m white.” It makes you think. It’s all about what’s inside. Every speaker on the program will share their six words with us, along with many children from the city.  I hope that you will take the time this coming long weekend to give some thought to the profound effect that Dr. Martin Luther King had on our society by standing up for what he believed in and speaking out about it. And for those of you here in Seattle who choose to come to the community’s celebration at Mt. Zion this Friday, get there early. It’s going to be a packed house and we’ll be doing some world-shaking. If we're lucky, there may even be some deviled eggs downstairs afterward.