There are three main things that tend to populate my head when we hit the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.
One, is reminisces of when I lived in the Atlanta area and took my now-adult children to Ebenezer Baptist Church and The King Center so they could see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears about the legacy where it was really hatched. As a dad, it was a moving experience. As a human being, it was entirely profound. When in Atlanta, do make time for a visit. You’ll be glad you did. His spirit is alive and well there and the tomb of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King are both there on the grounds. To say the experience is moving and profound is actually quite an understatement. We weren’t there on a day when a service was happening in the newer Ebenezer building where Senator Raphael Warnock presides (which I loveand didn’t realize until last year), but we prayed and learned in the original facility across the street, which is where MLK actually did his preaching.
The second? I think of my friend Tavis Smiley and his excellent book, Death of a King, which I would encourage any and all to order and read. Tavis is quality people and I am proud to know him. The book is one of the finest, carefully crafted and moving pieces of nonfiction of our generation. Tavis is a good human.
Third, I harken back to I guess about four years ago now. My dear friend the economist, scholar and thought leader Dr. Julianne Malveaux, invited me to Chicago for Jesse Jackson’s annual MLK day breakfast event. I don’t like Chicago in winter, but of course I jumped at the chance to privately meet “The Rev,” as they call him. I’ve mellowed and smartened up with age to say the least, but when I was a young conservative firebrand I wasn’t a fan of either the Rev, whom whilst running for president once gave a speech at the famed Redlands Bowl that I could actually hear from my home, a mile away. The man has a big, strong voice, that’s for sure. Nor really of Julianne, whom I used to watch on Crossfire and yell at the TV. I wasn’t really attuned to the critical nature of Dr. King’s legacy either until I got a little older. I didn’t really know what I was doing back then. But I do now, and all three mean a great deal to me, though of course I never met Dr. King.
Julianne over the last decade plus has become one ofone of my closest friends and confidantes. Our relationship is so rich and she has taught me more than almost anyone. Of course we aren’t on the same page on every issue, but we are on the ones that matter like equality, justice and criminal justice reform. Human rights, basically.
So she takes me to this hotel ballroom in Chicago a few years back. We proceed to an anteroom and there he is. The Reverend Jesse Jackson, holding court. Julianne is on the board of Rainbow PUSH and is very close to him, so she takes me over and does the intro. My head nearly exploded. He stares me straight in the eyes and gives me my moment. Our paths crossed a few more times that morning and he always threw me a smile. It was literally one of the best mornings ever for me—one that I will never forget, and I have such gratitude toward Julianne for making it happen.
The Rev has been somewhat unwell lately with Parkinsons, and stepped down from Rainbow-PUSHlast July, which is a shame. His voice leaves a void. Of course he was with Dr. King on that horrific day in Memphis, and went on to create a powerful legacy of his own that will endure. God bless him. We owe him a great debt of gratitude. He always taught kids that they mattered. Well. He matters.
But the biggest debt of gratitude is reserved for Dr. King and the legacy he left. So on Monday, take some time to look up some of his or the Rev’s writings. Look up people like Julianne who carry the torch. Maybe look for Tavis’s book or another on the subject. If you are in DC, do what I used to do when I lived there and visit the stunning memorial. Atlanta? Ebenezer. Wherever you find yourself, try to find a way to actually mark the occasion—conservative, liberal whatever-- while you enjoy the day off. It’s good for the soul, and it’s good for all of us to take time to reflect and to learn, particularly during these troubled times of ours. Taking that kind of reflection time to remember what he meant to our nation and world and also be grateful for the people in my life who have literally kept the dream alive, for me at least, is what MLK Day is about.