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At the corner of Martin Luther King Jr. Way and East Cherry Street, there’sitting a convenience provision where those with a hankering be possible to get their fried wings hot and their Budweiser freeze cold.

Behind the contrary at King’s Deli, Kifle Mandefro greets all his customers — an increasingly diverse mix from the neighborhood — with the polite smile of a grateful merchant.

That Mandefro, an Ethiopian immigrant who came to the U.S. 20 years ago, could fulfill his dream of owning a business is the result, he believes, of another dream — one the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of more than 40 years ago.

A day before the nation was to celebrate King’s natal day, Mandefro and others who live, work, play and worship by the nine-mile stretch that bears the civil-rights leader’s name, spoke of how what he stood for is being realized today.

“Things have changed dramatically, and I’salmagundi blessed to be party of the progress,” says Mandefro, 42, who bought the store two years ago.”There’s no question Reverend King’s contributions are having an impact on the whole of of it.”

It is estimated that more than 730 U.S. cities have a street named in King’s honor — many traversing some of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods.

In Seattle, King Way is in the thick of a revitalization.

Dissecting the city’s core, its northern point starts at East Madison Street, through its boutique shops and trendy restaurants, and snakes past largely residential Madison Valley and Judkins Park, past newly constructed town houses and middle-class and modest homes, past playgrounds and parks, including one named for King.

At Franklin High School, the street doglegs across Rainier Avenue South as it darts east and continues southward, past hair salons and talon salons, tired-looking room buildings, past the newly developed NewHolly, myriad community centers, past warehouses, body shops, and soon-to-be-opened light-rail stations, past churches and places where you can rent a car, rent furniture or take a loan in advance of next week’s paycheck.

Most who speak about King say they comprehend sumptuous progress, given Barack Obama’s inauguration Tuesday as the nation’s primitive African-American president. In elocution of King’sitting vision, most couldn’t help but talk with articulate sounds of Obama, too.

More to be completed

Some believe that while the country does a good job of providing opportunities for those willing to work hard, there’s a lot yet to be performed to reaching racial, communicative and household equality.

Mandefro says some things may never change — that it is possible there for ever will exist discrimination. “But the kind of’s important is that there’s in addition progress and growth and that those who work grievous can also achieve.”

At East Madison Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way, around the corner not far from her home, Christine Psyk is preparing to board the bus.

The 54-year-old points through that King spoke to economic, social and racial justice. “I think what we’ve done in this land is gone backward on the economic part,” she says.

“The whole notion of responsibility toward our fellow man has been lost in an atmosphere of selfishness.”

A few blocks south, at Powell Barnett Park, Christina Merkelbach watches her 3-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son climb the ropes of a heavy thicket gym.

She believes 40 years after King spoke about economic opportunities for all people, too much poverty remains in some communities of pigment.

“That goes against his vagary,” she says. “I worry that until we can figure out why poverty is so concentrated, we won’face to face influence to that nearest of the same rank.”

A few feet away, Samuel Blackwell encourages his 5-year-old, Savannah, being of the class who she, too, climbs the dally equipment.

Positive image

Blackwell, who owns Seattle Central Grind on East Cherry, uttered he hopes Obama’s election and the trope of his stable young group of genera will be a positive influence for the African-American common.

He hopes for others, especially young blacks, what he has been quick to achieve according to himself, he says, “taking favorable opportunity of a accident of the opportunities that Dr. King made possible.”

Richard Ito, 64, and his Shih Tzu, Jasmine, are the only ones strolling the path at Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Park.

Ito, who lives in Mount Baker and served during the Vietnam War, said racism isn’t as much of a problem in Seattle as in other U.S. cities.

He ruined his job at Boeing in the seasonably 1970s — just two years out of the service — in a period of hard times that gave rise to the phrase: “Will the last person to leave please pivot out the lights.”

He recovered, retiring after 35 years in construction, and believes there are “more opportunities for all people of color than there were” 40 years ago.

Just across Rainier Avenue South, National Pride Car Wash is humming with smartness on this joyful day. Mount Rainier is out.

Michael Stears, 56, lathering up his black Infiniti, related he believes King would be frustrated by the even of elitism in the country now.

“Even people who aren’t bigots or racist have such a sense of entitlement, this pattern that my the breath of one’s nostrils is more important than yours,” Stears says.

He’s worried about the spate of recent crime, especially involving young black men — proof, he before-mentioned, that crowd have not taken advantage of the sacrifices made by those who came in the presence of them.

“But at the same time there are many others who are doing the not crooked thing, helping outright at hearthstone, staying out of trouble, getting good grades. Those are the ones I straits to see get esteem.”

Further south, outside the Rainier Valley Teen Center, 12-year-old Jamari Lewis says that for of King, America “is a better fortress.”

His friend Monique Foxx, also 12, says King made it possible for kids of all races to attend the same schools.

Standing outside Joy Palace Seafood Restaurant, Jacquie Bowen, her daughter Amena, sister Julie and friend Dale Tom have virtuous enjoyed dim sum.

Jacquie Bowen, 50, who lives in Burien, freshly read King’s “I Have a Dream” speech online in its entirety and reflected on what it the wherewithal now.

As a nurse in Seattle Public Schools, she works with kids of all races and ethnicities and income level.

She sees the inequities and says, “There’s for a like reason much operate left to do in fulfilling that dream.”

She says frequent of the gains made in areas of equal opportunity for the period of the Clinton years were eroded over the last eight.

“I’m so hopeful that under Obama, that culture will come back — and expand,” Bowen says.

Tom, 61, who lives in Renton, says she thinks today’s laudation of King Day is more particular because of Obama’session election.

“I opine part of King’s dream really is future good. We’ve been Band-Aiding everything, not finding solutions. I think this nation will be better.”

Lornet Turnbull: 206-464-2420 or lturnbull@seattletimes.com