The other day I was headed to work pretty early in the morning. While driving down the two-lane road that leads to Roebuck Parkway, where my office is located, I was caught behind a garbage truck. On the back of this garbage truck were two men jumping on and off, loading the trash into the truck, and placing the garbage cans back into people’s yards.
I am always intrigued by how people respond when “delayed.” As people were forced to stop due to the men at work, they were suddenly infused with blind courage that caused them to speed around the garbage truck into oncoming traffic; remember, it’s a two-lane road. They sought an alternative route to get around the “inconvenience.”
It reminded me how little we often stop to think about the people who do the things we deem insignificant. How easy it is to overlook those who do maintenance jobs. Jobs that we often complain about when they go undone. I don’t think that the people seeking to speed around the men that were at work picking up our trash meant to disrespect the men at work. I think they were just preoccupied with what they had to do and didn’t want to be inconvenienced.
How often have we heard the saying, “patience is a virtue.”
Often.
Why?
Because patience speaks to value.
The other day I waited 45 minutes for a meeting with a leader. I waited longer than that, but the meeting started 45 minutes late. Why did I wait? Because I valued the person that I was going to meet with, hm, but I guess they devalued my time. I digress—a different post for a different day. My point is… people are usually willing to wait for something or someone they value.
I have often heard people threaten students by saying if they don’t do their school work, then they will end up picking up trash for a living. What does this say about how we feel about the people who discard the things we no longer want? What can history teach us about valuing those we are tempted to devalue?
On February 1, 1968, two Memphis sanitation workers were killed while taking refuge from the rain in their malfunctioning truck. This led to the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike. Over 1,300 sanitation workers with the City of Memphis Department of Public Works protested sub-standard pay, malfunctioning equipment, and unsafe work environments. Many of us are familiar with this event because it led Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to Memphis, TN, where he was killed on April 4, 1968.
Dr. King stood with these men knowing that their fight for economic justice and the right to be treated with dignity was all our fights. Dr. King was well known for saying, “In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be...” When we devalue someone because of their work or their place in society, we rob ourselves of their beautiful contribution and dignity.
Dr. King died fighting for those who were discarded to be seen. He fought for men and women to be seen and valued. To be appreciated and to be compensated and treated justly. We can take a few moments and let people do their jobs in a safe environment. We can take time to see those who carry out a vital function in our cities and communities. We can honor them by hearing their stories and taking a moment to listen to their point of few.
Check out this video from my City, where our Mayor spent time with the City of Birmingham Department of Public Works.