Have you seen the recently released movie, “One Night in Miami”? It was directed by Regina King and tells the (mostly) true story of an evening in the 1960’s when Muhammed Ali (then Cassius Clay), Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Malcolm X were together.
You can check out a preview here:
For those too young to recognize these names, Ali was one of the best heavyweight boxers in history. Sam Cooke was an amazing R & B singer best known for the ballad, “You Send Me.” Jim Brown was a fierce running back for the Cleveland Browns and held the NFL rushing yards record for many years until it was broken by Walter Payton. And, Malcolm X was a human rights leader, a minister, and a spokesperson for the Nation of Islam. It was a powerhouse quartet of Black men.
Two important journeys happen in the film: Clay converts to Islam and assumes his new identity as Muhammed Ali. And Cooke, a popular crooner, asserts his album sales strength to tackle the nation’s turbulent racial divide and write the song, “A Change is Gonna Come.” It was a risky move for a “crossover” artist and the song was only modestly popular at the time it was released. But, in the years since, Cooke’s song has become a beloved anthem for the civil rights movement.
“One Night in Miami” is a powerful film and its message from 1964 is one that must be told today.
I’m proud to share with you a new digital magazine that outlines some of the change we have been bringing to Pierce County over the last two years.
The County’s first Diversity, Equity and Inclusion report was posted online today and I want to congratulate every employee that has been steadfast in their work to create a more respectful place to work, and a more welcoming environment for serving our residents. My thanks to all the members of the work groups who have been working to help us move forward as a County – especially Judy Archer, our director of Human Resources, who has been at the forefront.
In the report you will read about several of your co-workers and their commitment to bringing change to our region. I expect that like me you will find their stories enlightening and inspiring. I’m grateful to learn from them and pleased that they are our County colleagues.
To be sure, we have work to do to have an equitable workplace where everyone is included and appreciated, but we are off to a great start. As we move along in this journey, we are committed to taking all of you with us, along with our community.
Together, change will come. And, we are working to make that happen.
Thanks for reading,
Bruce