Thank YOU, Dr. King!

As we move past the holiday weekend, #TRUTHIS would like to say Happy Birthday to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr! He would have been 82 years old.

I played his "I have a dream" speech for my kids. To my surprise, they listened to the whole thing. It's difficult for them, like most of us, to understand inequality at all.  Try explaining inequalities based on the color of a persons skin to a six year old! It sounds just as stupid as it is. Many questions were asked and "ignorance" was the most common answer given.  We still have a long way to go, but we have come a long way, indeed.  Thank YOU, Dr. King!

I highly recommend a visit to the King center as something that you do at least once in your lifetime. http://www.thekingcenter.org/  The King center, established by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, is a living memorial dedicated to the legacy of Dr. King. While attending Spelman College and living in Atlanta, I attended a sevice at Ebenezer Baptist Church, took a tour of his childhood home and visited The King Center, where he and now, Mrs. Coretta Scott King are buried together in a mausoleum.  His eldest sister, Dr. Christine Farris King, is a professor at Spelman and I felt blessed to simply be in her presence.

Dr. King, like my father and grandfather, was an alum of Morehouse College in Atlanta. My father was a student there when Dr. King was assassinated. As a member of the glee club, he sang at his funeral, which, following the service at Ebenezer Baptist Church was held at Morehouse. He, like so many others can recall it all as if it all were just yesterday... And really, it was...

Below is an excert from the conclusion of his final speech.

"I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. And I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.." (King, Martin Luther.  "I've Been to the Mountain Top." April 3, 1968)

We are well on our way, Dr. King.