In their annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet, the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance honored non-black leaders who “undergirded the dream” of Dr. King. They are referred to as the “Friends of the Movement.”
Among those honored were Tacoma reverend and activist David Alger and Brown’s Point native and former state legislator Dennis Flannigan.
For Reverend Alger, MLK day always makes him think about why he got involved in the civil rights movement.
"I'm sitting in the lounge and my roommate in seminary school comes in and says, 'you folks have killed Martin and it just drove a stake into my heart," he said.
While Reverend Alger is not personally responsible for killing Dr. King, he had to face the fact that white supremacy was.
"I said holy crow. I said what is going on around me that I am just totally unaware of," he recalled.
Alger worked on civil rights issues with the black panther party in Chicago. Flannigan helped mobilize black people in Mississippi in 1964 to run for political office.
"I became a person whose job it was to stay out of jail cause my job was to raise money if people were arrested," said Flannigan
One day at lunch he would meet an American hero.
"Martin Luther King Jr. Came into a restaurant, the only integrated restaurant in Jackson when I was there and I was having lunch with Stokely Carmichael and some other people. So I went over and certainly was introduced to Dr. King."
Alger and Flannigan’s work to fight racial injustice is the reason why they are two of a handful of non-black leaders to receive an MLK honor from the Tacoma Ministerial Alliance. Pastor Tony Montgomery says the TMA wanted to specifically honor non-black people who were part of the civil rights movement.
"When we come back and say thank you, that is now reconciling," said Pastor Montgomery.
Both Alger and Flannigan say there's a lot more work to do on a personal level. They are both working to be aware and they are grateful to be recognized.
"As a white person you have to be constantly aware," said Alger. "It’s an honor. I've been given lots of plaques but not many great honors and I'll put this one up and that will make me feel like, “not a bad life fella.”
