Journey On: A Nod to the King

I was a sophomore in college before I heard MLK’s I Have a Dream speech. It was during my first ever public speaking class, and I loved every moment of it. I think I took Intro to Black Studies the same year.

Then I took on a two-year commitment from April through August as summer program coordinator for a month-long international high school student exchange program. I interviewed host families and hired ESL teachers to accommodate 20 students  from Japan and Thailand. 

Fast forward, 20+ years later, I had the opportunity to lead a couple of virtual book clubs as a facilitator for two top selling publications centered on advancement of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Why I am mentioning this? Because I started out thinking I would become an art teacher, and I soon realized there was an art to EVERYTHING. Not just paint to canvas or pencil to paper, but in how you address others, and how you use your time. 

I have never “arrived” to where I have been in the position to say I am a master of handling inclusivity and creating space at the table for others. I will ever be learning how to be a stronger advocate for those who don’t look or think like me.

But with this being Black History Month, and January’s national holiday to remember Dr. Martin Luther King’s life and the impact of his work, I have to wonder what his future would have been like had someone else not selfishly taken it.

I still dream for the day when children who have a different physical appearance than my own child  will be able to walk around without having to feel slighted or treated differently for whatever reason.