King, alive in minds and hearts

A FINAL step toward honoring the work and memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. can be completed by the Metropolitan King County Council with passage of a remaining piece of legislation.

When the council reconvenes Tuesday, it ought to take up a proposal by Councilman Larry Gossett to change the official symbol of King County from a gold crown to the likeness of King. The ordinance also authorizes the change for the county government's logo on stationery and license plates of county vehicles. An effort that began in 1986, the year Congress established the civil-rights leader's birthday as a national holiday, can finally come to fruition. This is a fitting way to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the holiday.

The council ought to be unanimous in this endeavor. We've come too close to making this dream a reality to waver now. Earlier this year, the state Legislature amended the law allowing King County to make the name change. Legally, the action was necessary, but King County has for years informally declared itself MLK County.

Twenty years ago, Gossett and then-Councilman Ron Sims spearheaded a change in the county's namesake from William Rufus DeVane King to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It was an appropriate move. William King had no connection to our area other than that he wielded influence in the nation's capital at a time our state wanted to enter the Union. Moreover, William King's roots in the pro-slavery, antebellum South contradicts the values this county upholds.

More in philosophical tune with us is Dr. King, the Nobel laureate whose courageous struggle against poverty and racism continues to resonate today. King is recognized worldwide as one of America's greatest leaders. It would be an honor to live in a county named for him.

This final but critical step in the effort to become Martin Luther King County would cost taxpayers about $600,000 over five years to replace the existing logo on county buildings and gradually change the logo on license plates and paper stock. Such an expenditure is not made lightly. The county has adopted an economically prudent approach by phasing in the changes. Bottom line: King — the embodiment of human dignity — is a worth-while investment.

County lawyers have done their research. Governments have the right to incorporate images of famous people for official use. The issue of intellectual property rights would come into play if the county used King's likeness for commercial purposes. On the rare occasions when the county was involved in a profit-making venture — say, selling tickets for concerts at the county-owned Marymoor Park — King's image ought to be purchased and viewed as the cost of doing business.

Once the council makes this change official, King would join George Washington, the state symbol, and Chief Sealth, whose image is the symbol of Seattle, in reflecting this community's values.

The fact that King's image would be so visible is a thing to celebrate. An annual holiday is fine, but King's legacy means too much to too many to sit waiting for once-a-year commemorations. The meaning of his life ought to be incorporated into our daily lives, reminding us of his deeds and our potential.

A region named in honor of King keeps this great figure's legacy alive in our minds and, equally as important, our hearts.