With all the national news focused on the actions of a hateful and repugnant minority in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Saturday, residents of Lewis County were treated to a welcome reprieve thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers in Centralia.
Events were launched to honor Centralia’s founder, George Washington, who is known to have stood for kindness and generosity after facing his own challenges due to racist policies of the territorial west in the 1800s.
Those who read this newspaper, specifically the recent columns of Brian Mittge, who led the effort, know the story of George Washington by now. He escaped the possibility of slavery to eventually lay claim to a spread of land that is now Centralia.
In the early years, he offered assistance and guidance to all who asked.
He left behind the memory of a man so beloved that all these years later there is still reason and momentum to celebrate him.
The scenes in George Washington Park Saturday were of children and adults taking part in an act of civic pride befitting of the park’s namesake. The day launched a year of events timed with the 200th anniversary of Washington’s birth.
Today, Centralia College will rededicate Washington Hall to solidify its ties to its namesake in the latest honoring of the founder.
Washington was said to have stopped in Centralia on his quest to find a “decent place.” He acted to build the city many of us call home as such, and the people who celebrated him over the weekend are a reflection of that successful pursuit.
The events of Charlottesville showed that we still live in a world where the KKK and Nazi sympathizers not only at times feel comfortable airing their despicable views in public, but will still act violently on those views. Noting the rarity of such events and the fact that the vast majority of Americans on both sides of the political aisle are repulsed by such hateful views doesn’t eliminate this fact.
Still, Centralia is a better reflection of what America stands for, and one that, at a community level, retains respect for one another, kindness and compassion.
Those seemed to have been key attributes of George Washington. They also seem to have been among the driving considerations for those who sought to celebrate “Our George Washington.”
We’re thankful for the efforts of all the volunteers who helped provide a meaningful and worthwhile celebration of a truly great man we can still learn from today. Continue reading The Chronicle for news on celebrations in the year ahead, and visit www.ourgeorgewashington.com for additional information.
