You're in: Martin Luther King Logo » Video

Video interviews

The transition to the likeness of Dr. Martin Luther King for King County has been a 20 year long project. Many of the people below have been involved since the beginning. Click below to watch an interview with each of the long-term advocates below.
Bruce Laing Watch the video in real media or windows media format. Elected as a Republican to represent the Eastside on the King County Council in 1979, Bruce C. Laing served as a councilmember for 16 years. In 1986, Laing joined with Democrat Ron Sims to cosponsor a bill to rename King County to honor Martin Luther King – the county was originally named in 1852 for Vice President-elect William Rufus DeVane King, a slave owner. When Laing completed his final term in 1995, the Seattle Times hailed his competence, civility, and role as most valuable player on the Council. In 2003, Laing, who resides in Bellevue, was appointed by then-governor Locke to serve on Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board, a position he held until his retirement in 2006. Learn more... (external link)		King County Council Chair Larry Gossett Watch the video in real media or windows media format. In 1993, Larry Gossett was elected to the King County Council to represent District 10 (currently District 2), which encompasses most of the inner-city neighborhoods in Seattle. Born and raised in Seattle, Councilmember Gossett is a highly respected community leader who has long advocated for the underrepresented and underprivileged in King County over the past 14 years. Larry Gossett was unanimously elected Chair of the Metropolitan King County Council in 2007. Learn more...
King County Executive Ron Sims Watch the video in real media or windows media format. King County Executive Ron Sims is serving his third term as King County Executive. He was a County Councilmember when he was appointed in 1996 to finish the term of Executive Gary Locke, who was elected governor. Shortly after his election to the King County Council in 1985, he helped lead a successful effort to rename King County in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Since becoming County Executive in 1996, Sims is charged with overseeing the 13th largest county in the nation. It includes the city of Seattle, and with an overall population of 1.8 million, King County is home to about 30 percent of Washington state’s population and accounts for more than 40 percent of the state’s jobs. Learn more...		Rev. Samuel McKinney, pastor emeritus Mt. Zion Baptist Church Watch the video in real media or windows media format. Reverend Samuel Berry McKinney served as pastor of Seattle's Mount Zion Baptist Church from 1958 until his retirement in 1998. Although he had every intention of becoming a civil rights lawyer when he enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, a deep inward drive propelled him into the ministry. In 1961, he convinced his college classmate and friend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to come to Seattle to be part of a lecture series sponsored by the Brotherhood of Mount Zion Baptist Church. Rev. McKinney marched with Dr. King in Washington D.C. in 1963 and in Selma and Montgomery in 1965. A highly respected civil rights leader, minister and community advocate, Rev. McKinney did much to shape the conscience of Seattle. Learn more... (external link)
Shelby Scates Watch the video in real media or windows media format. Shelby Scates was a long time reporter and political writer for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Argus and Hearst Newspapers. In a 35-year journalism career that began in 1956, Scates was also a reporter for United Press International, the Associated Press, and International News Service. He is the author of three books, Warren G. Magnuson and the Shaping of the 20th Century, War and Politics by Other Means and Maurice Rosenblatt and the Fall of Joseph McCarthy, which were published by the University of Washington Press. Learn more...(external link)		State Senator Adam Kline Watch the video in real media or windows media format. Washington state Senator Adam Kline has represented the 37 th District for the past 10 years. Kline has a long time commitment to social justice and civil rights, registering voters in Greenwood, Miss. in 1964 as a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, and returning to work for North Mississippi Rural Legal Services after graduating from law school. Kline came to Seattle in 1973 and continued his legal career. He retired from practicing law in 2004 to work for the Laborer’s Union. Kline has continued to make community service a focal point in his life, working extensively with the American Civil Liberties Union, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Washington Conservation Voters. Learn more...(external link)
State Rep. Eric Pettigrew Watch the video in real media or windows media format. Since 2002, State Rep. Eric Pettigrew has represented constituents in Washington’s diverse 37th District, which extends from Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood to parts of Renton . His work has focused on education, transportation, health care, jobs, economic development, affordable housing, and the environment. Pettigrew remains actively involved in the community he represents, serving as president of the Rainier Chamber of Commerce and as a volunteer with Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club. Ebony Magazine honored Pettigrew as one of its “Future Leaders of America.” Learn more...(external link)		State Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos Watch the video in real media or windows media format. Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos has represented Washington’s 37th Legislative District since 1998. Her legislative priorities have focused on education, community and economic development, health care and affordable housing. Tomiko Santos has served with the United Way of King County, the YMCA Youth and Government Advisory Board, and the Japanese America Citizens League. Among the numerous honors recognizing her public service work, Tomiko Santos was the 1993 recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. “Keeping the Dream Alive” award. Learn more... (external links)
Eddie Rye Jr. Watch the video in real media or windows media format. Eddie Rye Jr. is a business leader and community activist who prompted King County to change its logo from the crown to the image of Martin Luther King Jr., the Nobel Laureate and civil rights leader after whom the county was named. Rye is also credited with successfully leading an initiative to change the name of Empire Way in Seattle to Martin Luther King Jr. Way in 1982.