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Fredric is a web developer based in Chicago who hopes to one day start a foundation to support young, Black males in programming and computer science.

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Would You Live on MLK Drive?

February 28th, 2007 • Related • Filed Under

Young Black Professional MLK Drive IntersectionHypothetical question for you:

Would you live on MLK Drive?

Is it just me or is it very perplexing that when I’m looking for a new place to live, MLK Drive is not the street I want to be living on. As Black History Month comes to close, I wanted to point out the cnn.com article that proposed this same question.

Historically, MLK Drive symbolizes the divide between affluent neighborhoods and poor neighborhoods. This is a direct parallel with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s struggle of trying to unite whites and blacks together during the Civil Rights Era. As the article points out, there are many streets in the United States named after the slain civil rights leader. While it is admirable that many of these neighborhoods still hold their symbolism especially in this day of apathetic black mindset, the question still remains. Would you live on MLK Drive? Do you feel that there is anything wrong with that sentiment?

There Are 6 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Brittania on 28 February 2007:

    I actually lived on MLK Drive when I was a kid, 35th and King Drive. And as the cnn article stated, the MLK Drive I lived on did not then and does not now fit the stereotype of “a place where you don’t want to be,” unless you have a problem with an all black neighborhood. Even today, I would live on King Dr. in Chicago, at least.

  2. Comment by Fredric on 1 March 2007:

    True. I guess I’m caught in my mad beaugoise mode only because I lived on streets considered ‘the edge of sketch’ and have had my stuff stolen. MLK drive gets such a bad rep in the Chi.

  3. Comment by Kimberly Michelle on 1 March 2007:

    I guess I just find it annoying that every street named after a Black leader ends up being in a predominately Black neighborhood, as if Black leaders only pertain to Black people. I mean, is there an MLK Blvd/Dr./St. in Utah, Idaho, or North Dakota?

  4. Comment by Tambra Stevenson on 5 March 2007:

    I find it interesting that no matter what state I am in, if I drive on MLK drive, I know that I am in a mostly African American, low-income neighborhood with low real estate value. Was that MLK’s dream? I think not. I believe the true benchmark of living MLK’s dream is when we can drive on MLK drive in Oklahoma City, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Southeast Washington, DC, etc. and we see people of color prospering. Until that day happens, all of America is not living the dream of that some of the people are.

  5. Pingback by some great posts you might have missed | Young Black Professional Guide on 23 August 2007:

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  6. Comment by Jeffrey Brown on 24 August 2007:

    In my city, Martin Luther King Drive is not really a drive at all, but a freeway!