R.I.P Ben E King

R.I.P Ben E King, former lead singer of the Drifters, who, during his solo career, performed a song, "Stand by Me," which became a musical anthem that helped define the optimistic spirit of Rock and Roll for young people in every part of the nation. There is no one I know who grew up in the 50's and early 60's who doesn't know the words of that song, and who won't start singing it when it comes on the radio or is played at a wedding, a party or a school event. To me, it harks back to a time better than our own, when the wealth of the nation was more evenly distributed, when romance was something aspired to, not mocked, and when many of us believed, perhaps naively that we could overcome racism and create a more just society. Ben E King, with that song, created a moral guidepost for us, an exemplar of hope for both personal relationships and social uplift, that we would carry with us for the rest of our lives. He will be missed, but the song will live on, and so will the hopes it inspired, even in this sometimes grim political climate