It was cloudy and breezy, and cold by Key West standards. The cold front that brought snow to Pensacola yesterday delivered wind, clouds, and sixty-degree air to Key West this morning. It was the kind of morning when my native Floridian self might have stayed indoors, but with a few years of Midwest and New England experience under my belt, I knew better. I needed to take a sunrise walk.
I walked to Higgs Beach, where an open southeastern view over the Straits of Florida provides a perfect vantage point to witness the birth of a new day. Every sunrise offers the promise of a new future. But like most places in these islands, Higgs Beach also carries a history.
In 1860, slavery was still legal in the United States, though the importation of enslaved people was not. That summer, the U.S. Navy intercepted three American-owned ships bound for Cuba in the illegal slave trade. A total of 1,432 people were rescued and brought to Key West. Of those, 294 died from diseases caused by the unsanitary and inhumane conditions aboard the ships. They were buried at Higgs Beach, where a memorial now stands.
Five years after those burials, slavery in America would finally, officially end. One hundred years later, equality would still remain a dream – one that a movement led by Martin Luther King, Jr. would struggle to bring closer to reality. And now, 160 years later, much progress has been made, yet there is still a long way to go.
On this holiday, as we remember Dr. King, may we also remember that each of us has a part to play in making his dream real. “One Human Family” bumper stickers abound here in Key West, a simple but powerful reminder that we are one family, and we are all in this life together.
Where Are We Going Now? 