By Zenovia Harris
CEO, Kent Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Whatever affects one directly, affects us all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. This is the interrelated structure of reality.”
This quote is not only why I celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but it is my life’s work. Knowing that we are somehow all interconnected is my reason for leading my life the way in which I do. My job as a leader, sister, friend, wife, and bonus mom is to ensure my decisions are made and measured by their impact on others, not my intent. I understand that my privilege in having a voice at tables that were not designed for me and still being savvy enough to extract pertinent and critical information to define what options are available for the organizations and businesses I serve is due to the sacrifice of my ancestors.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed on April 4, 1968, while in Memphis to help lead Black sanitation workers in a protest against low wages and intolerable working conditions. For my family, that is a full circle moment.
Our family’s head of the home, my husband Archie, is a sanitation worker whose work is well-respected and critical to our success as a family and our communities. Gun violence has also impacted my family.
My mother was shot and killed in front of me at the age of seven. Since the day of her murder, I’ve realized that I could have lived my life angry and hateful because of someone’s selfish decisions that stripped me and my siblings of our mother, our friend, and our bloodline. Instead, I have embraced others with love so they don’t make those selfish decisions.
I believe Dr. King taught me how to show up for others in their time of need, whether or not they know they are in need. And, as a motherless child, it is imperative for me to ensure that my impact on children’s lives is to be a servant, a confidant as well as an example of diligence, survival, and peace.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy is not a moment in time, a holiday, a reason to take the day off work, but instead a reason to continuously strive for opportunities to level the playing field for people of color. Hate and anger only breed despair, while love breeds equity, sacrifice, understanding, and hope.
Truth, light, and hope was the theme of the King County MLK celebration this year where I was honored as the recipient of the 2023 Larry Gossett Service Award. Gossett reminded us that “there is no Township, there is no City, there is no County, there is no Province anywhere in the world who has given itself the honor of having its namesake the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., and because of that we should be extremely proud.”
Earning the distinguished award is a message to me that I am not alone. An honor such as this is shared with the community I serve on a daily basis. The award for me solidifies that when we are focused on true equity and not just in search of recognition, others find value in our service. This award is a symbol for the significance of my community service and various challenging lived experiences that play into recognizing economic inequalities and having the courage to provide solutions and opportunities. I share this award with my allies, my supporters and young leaders who see my being the only Black CEO for a chamber in Washington state as an inspiration that leads to change.
I accepted this award in the name of economic equality, economic access, and equal distribution of resources for the purpose of economic vitality for all.
Finally, I will leave you with the words of Dr. King, “Whatever your life’s work do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead and the unborn could do it no better.”
