On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a reflection on sons, fathers, and daughters

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Martin Luther King is a name that means something. It is a generational surname that recalled a revolutionary name to create a movement that defined this country. It is a story of fathers and sons, the passing down of ideas, and how the next generation might interpret them.

It is also a story of daughters, often forgotten in this movement. But the Rev. Bernice King’s voice, much as her father and her father’s father did in this hallowed sanctuary, would not be denied, even as the celebration of Dr. King was juxtaposed against the impending presidential inauguration.

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A moment with his boys reminds our columnist of how Dr. King was passed down to him. “I can remember a particularly cold Atlanta morning as a preteen, when some of my friends from church and I hopped on a bus from Augusta and took the two-hour drive,” Ken Makin writes.

“For some, today’s moderation represents the best of times – ‘Make America Great Again.’ For others, it highlights the worst of times, set America back again,” Ms. King said to a packed service at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. “For some, today’s King holiday represents freedom, justice, and democracy. For others, it’s a day to deprive DEI and disavow a legacy of peace, love, and justice, and to distort the meaning of King’s words.”

By the time she finished, Ms. King had elicited the type of emotion and applause that her father did close to 60 years ago. 

My younger son, all of 3 years old, recently surprised me with his understanding of the Civil Rights Movement: “I know who Martin Luther King is!”

I smiled when he told me about how Dr. King “got off the bus,” which was his interpretation of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. As with many watercolors, his interpretation of one of the 20th century’s most recognizable moments was messy, but beautiful.

Snuggling with him and his older brother on the couch, I asked them, “Do you want to see Dr. King?” They nodded. I showed them an excerpt of one of Dr. King’s affirmations of Blackness.

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A moment with his boys reminds our columnist of how Dr. King was passed down to him. “I can remember a particularly cold Atlanta morning as a preteen, when some of my friends from church and I hopped on a bus from Augusta and took the two-hour drive,” Ken Makin writes.

“Somebody told a lie one day. They couched it in language. They made everything Black ugly and evil. … Well, I want to get the language right tonight,” Dr. King said. “I want to get the language so right that everyone here will cry out, ‘Yes, I’m Black. I’m proud of it. I’m Black and beautiful!”

The brown eyes of my older son lit up. My younger son, who has a lighter complexion than his brother and dad, had something to add to his palette of colors – that we are all different shades of Black.

The moment reminded me of how Dr. King was passed down to me – through recitations and parades. I can remember a particularly cold Atlanta morning as a preteen, when some of my friends from church and I hopped on a bus from Augusta and took the two-hour drive. I don’t remember the parade as much as I do the experience, being there in the presence of so many people in such an iconic location.

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