As the Kansas City Chiefs roll into Baltimore for another showdown, my mind drifts back 54 years to a time when their visit meant something far more than a game.
It was 1970, and our city was still mending the wounds of the riots that followed Dr. King’s assassination. In the midst of that healing process, the first Baltimore City Fair bloomed.
Imagine 360,000 people thronging downtown, a vibrant tapestry of neighborhoods woven together in celebration.
Entertainment booths and music stages pulsed in the Charles Center plazas, and I, the city boy named Entertainment Committee chairman, felt a thrill.
Friday night belonged to the Baltimore Symphony, Saturday echoed with Ethel Ennis’s velvety jazz, and fireworks painted the harbor Sunday evening.
But our grand finale held something extra special. As the sun dipped below the horizon, a gospel singalong promised a sweet Sunday Sundown.
Then, amidst the gathering crowd, I found myself face-to-face with giants – literally! A pack of players in striking red blazers and yellow arrowheads materialized, Kansas City Chiefs in town for Monday Night Football.
Leading the pack was a familiar face, Willie Lanier, Morgan State University’s golden boy and soon-to-be Hall of Famer middle linebacker.
Lanier, curious about the joyous din, learned about the fair’s mission: to stitch our fractured city back together. A smile creased his face.
And then, the music began. Esther Phillips, her voice pure fire, ignited the air with “We Shall Overcome.” Like magic, the Chiefs joined hands with a robed church choir, parents swaying alongside little figures in purple robes. Big, tough football players and tiny singers, all united by the power of this anthem.
Lanier, eyes twinkling, leaned over and said, “Pretty good, Baltimore. Pretty good.”
Maybe that’s all I have to say about the Chiefs this weekend.
Not about wins or losses, but about a moment where sports transcended the field, where music wove magic, and where healing took a giant leap forward.
That’s the memory I hold close, a reminder that even in the face of division, unity can shine through, bright and beautiful, like a Sunday Sundown Singalong in a city on the mend.
So while the roar of the stadium will fill the air this weekend, I’ll also be listening to the echoes of that unforgettable night, when the Chiefs, a gospel choir, and a city yearning for harmony came together and made sweet music.