The staff at the Martin Luther King Jr Family Outreach Center arrived early—as they do every day—in order to prepare for the young kiddos who would be making their way, via parent express, to the preschool and childcare facility soon. Executive director Freda Gandy was on her way when she received the call from her team, already on site. In a display of contemptible cowardice, someone had spray painted an age-old despicable term on the side of a building as well as on one of the Center’s activity vans used to transport the children to and from school.

There are no greater cowards than those who threaten the livelihood of children. And those who responded to the news stories and social media posts—about the spray paint insult at the center—said the same thing: not in our community.

Spokane city council president Ben Stuckart called for a press conference at noon that day. Although the wind’s chilly tentacles tousled hair and sneaked their way in, under and through jackets, scarves and gloves, the people spilled onto the MLK Center grounds in droves. Media outlets, business owners, representatives from different religious groups, professionals and people who generally care about their community, a rainbow of humans: showed up.

Freda shared unwavering sentiments about coming together as a community to protect and empower the children—all of the children. She shared the mission of the center to “continue to pave the way for a more equitable future by encouraging families to take responsibility for their success—preparing children to succeed in school and life, providing leadership opportunities for youth, celebrating cultural diversity in Spokane, and fostering meaningful connections between community members from all walks of life.”

The president of the NAACP—Spokane, Phillip Tyler, was in attendance, as well. “Hey, this isn’t a political thing, this isn’t about the presidential race, this isn’t anything new,” he said. “Things like this have been going on for a very long time—now you know it’s still a problem—and it’s time we come together and demand something better for all of us.”

Life Center’s lead pastor, Joe Wittwer, addressed the crowd next: “People often think in terms of an ‘Us versus Them’ challenge. And it isn’t. Because there is no ‘them,’ there is only an ‘us.’”

I attended church at Life Center a couple of weeks later, drawn in by Pastor Joe’s kind, thoughtful, comforting, unifying, brilliant words during the press conference. This time, he was kicking off a series called: There is More. More understanding and depth to gain. More good to do. More . . . professionally. More . . . personally. More . . . spiritually. More for our community.

A dear friend of mine, Jacqueline, had unexpectedly lost her beloved horse a few days before this event. A few days later, she posted a note of gratitude for the outpouring of love on Facebook, saying: “Nature is sad, devastating in fact, but it is good in the purest sense of the word. The wave of goodness and love that comes in reaction to something bad is a beautiful thing.”

As I stood in the crowd at the MLK Center, and soaked in the community surrounding me, I couldn’t help but feel the “us” Pastor Joe spoke of, and I smiled as Jacqueline’s words came to me again: The wave of goodness and love that comes in reaction to something bad is a beautiful thing. And it was, indeed, a beautiful thing. I look forward to seeing—and being a part of—more as our community continues to raise the bar and unites as one mighty force for the good of all our people.

We are Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living, and we are Spokane. Please find me on Facebook—and hop over to “like” the Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living page—to stay connected between press dates, and share your thoughts, stories, and life in real time. If you are interested in showing the MLK Center your love and support, please visit mlkspokane.org.

For the hope of more,

Stephanie Regalado

stephanie@spokanecda.com