I have my own personal reasons to say Thank You to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I have three beautifully perfect mocha-drop American Dream children. Directly or indirectly, their existence is in part thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The Cosby Show
I was 6 years old, living in a trailer park off of Curtis Road. My Grandpa and Grandma were visiting us, as they had done each year for several years. I’d turned on the television to watch “The Cosby Show”. It was one of the first All-American sit-coms that featured a successful, stable black family – which was far from the stereotype at the time. As soon as I turned on the TV, my grandfather turned it off.
I knew why. He was very vocal in his distaste for “blacks”.
That’s why in 2003, when Lumuli and I had begun to talk about our future, I needed to be upfront with him.
The Day I Called to Let Him Know
“Grandpa, I wanted to call you because I love you and wanted to let you know that I am in a relationship with a black man from Kenya and I think I may marry him. I want you to continue to be a part of our lives and just wanted to tell you first.”
His response?
“I know I’ve had trouble with that in the past, but I’m working on it”.
You have NO IDEA how shocking that statement was for me to hear. What a blessing – to have my Grandfather humble himself, admit his wrongs and account for it.
My Grandfather recently passed away. He truly loved Lumuli. And Lumuli loved him.
If Nothing Else, Just Love
We may still see racism spewed from ignorant people, but I truly believe that every single one of us has the ability to help steer the conversation back to love. That’s what Martin Luther King Jr.’s mission was all about. And although he may not have lived to see the day it happened, I believe that he influenced my Grandpa to put aside his previously held beliefs in order to love someone (who looked very differently than he’d intended) into his own family.
Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day. May we continue to spread love <3.