Truly King County

After decades of talking, the Metropolitan King County Council has decided to change the county logo from a crown to an image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

It may seem anticlimactic to those who know the county has considered this idea since the mid-1980s. However, it was anything but to the more than 200 citizens who crowded the council chambers to witness the vote, clapping their hands, beating Native American drums and singing "We Shall Overcome."

The council's action is a fitting tribute to King, and a timely one. This year, King County celebrates 20 years under the official name Martin Luther King Jr. County.

Our county was originally named for an Alabama slaveholder and U.S. vice president, William Rufus DeVane King. The decision then was merely a way to curry favor with a person who wielded national influence at a time when our state wanted to enter the Union.

The County Council in 1986 changed the county's namesake to Rev. King. The state Legislature adopted the change.

Credit Councilman Larry Gossett, D-Seattle, for working steadily to complete the transformation to MLK County.

Opposition from council members Jane Hague, R-Bellevue, and Kathy Lambert, R-Woodinville, is particularly noted for its disingenuousness. Amendments from Lambert — calling for a public advisory vote, removal of references to William King's ownership of slaves and more bargaining over the use of MLK's image — were appropriately dismissed.

The council did the right thing. The values of our county and its citizens are more in tune with King the civil-rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner. His commitment to equal opportunity and justice mirror our highest aspirations, something we'll all be reminded of every time we spot the county logo.