Thank You, Dr. King

Every morning, during the 7 minute drive to her school, my 12 year old niece, Naomi and I discuss what we are grateful for today. Today, she was grateful for having been born in the United States of America where, as a female child, she is relatively safe and enjoys many rights and amenities that other little girls around the world may not. Today, after reflecting on Dr. King's legacy for most of the day yesterday, I expressed that I have a renewed appreciation for the man that he was. Good Lord, that man was charismatic, brilliant, eloquent, passionate, and dedicated! Often times, we forget about the complexities of his character and take for granted just how bold and outspoken he was on the issues of race and war. But when you really sit down and think about it, watch his speeches, study his life, read his words, you can easily be overwhelmed by his spirituality, humility, power, bravery, and intellect -- or at least I am.

I LOVE ME SOME KING! And in my explanation of why I'm grateful for him, I said to Naomi, "He went hard in the paint for Civil Rights."

HARD IN THE PAINT!

YES!

In fact, if you don't know what going hard in the paint is, look at Dr. King. That man was arrested something like 30 times for Civil Disobedience. A thug for peace! He entered Morehouse College at 15! He won the Nobel Peace Prize at 35. Seriously? You just gon' do the most at all times and be all that you can be, Martin? Oh, okay.

This man makes me want to step my game up in a major way. I'm like, "WHAT THE HECK AM I DOIN' WITH MY LIFE?"

Thank you Dr. King... Not just for the sermons, speeches, and the marches... But for being well read. Thank you for being audacious, tenacious, and determined. Thank you for this picture...

Thank you for marrying Coretta, cause that sista was fly. Thank you for your children. I even want to thank Martin for messin' up and stepping out on his wife, because though I wish he hadn't done that, it shows us that no matter how much you cut up, you can still be about somethin'. Thank you Dr. King for your amazing legacy. And most of all, thank you for your crazy, insane, maniacal mindset... He had to be crazy to pursue peace, love, and justice in such an extreme and unapologetic way. I want that kind of lunacy in my life right now! Don't you?

Something Other than a Dream

I love this video, as a reminder that Dr. King didn't spend all of his time dreaming...

"...Don't let anybody make you think that God chose America to be his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world. God has a way of standing before the nations with judgement and it seems that I can hear God saying to America, 'You are too arrogant. And if you don't change your ways, I will rise up and break the backbone of your power. And I will place it in the hands of a nation that doesn't even know my name.'"

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sermon at the Ebenezer Baptist Church

April 30th 1967