A teaser trailer for the MLK Streets Project, a documentary film examining the state of the many avenues, boulevards and thoroughfares named after the slain …
This video echoes much of what the authors of the fantastic book “Civil Rights Memorials and the Geography of Memory” say (in fact one of the authors is shown in this video). Throughout America, streets that are named after Martin Luther King Jr. frequently are in poor, crime-ridden neighborhoods. This video highlights the irony between the historical memory of Martin Luther King Jr. and places of memorialization that bear his name.
Questions to ponder: If Matin Luther King Jr. represents non-violence, then why are streets bearing his name often in ‘violent’ neighborhoods? Where should Martin Luther King be memorialized in the United States? Only in the South? Only in predominantly African-American communities? Do the geography of the spaces where he is memorialized say something about the United States?
Tags: historical, culture, landscape, place, race, unit 3 culture, USA, urban, poverty, unit 7 cities, book review.
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GEOGRAPHY EDUCATION 
October 9, 2012 at 7:16 am
Chris Rock utilizes humor to underscore a pretty serious issue; that the black community in America still lives under the shadow of racism, living in separate and often unequal spheres. That the name Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a symbol of peace and justice for African -Americans, and really all people living or attempting to live in a democracy, is associated with violence,drugs, and poverty is a sad reminder of the state of affairs. I think that an attempt to dislodge the link in our psyches could be made by renaming streets,buildings etc.. after the slain civil rights leader in all areas regardless of color; King represents freedom, and justice which are supposed to be all-American values.
October 16, 2012 at 7:41 am
Naming a street after an influential leader of peace will not stop people from protesting or expressing violence towards each other. For some, naming a street after MLK is a great way to show how accepted he is in todays society, and that what he fought for his entire life is now be recognized. However, racism in America still exists. Chris Rock makes the connection by showing how great MLK is, but then points out that if you find yourself on street named after him, there’s going to be violence. I think the location of these streets has a significant impact on how people react to it. MLK streets should be more diverse and not centralized in African American communities because MLK helped everyone, not just the African American race.