Reflections on MLK Day

I grew up on the eastside of Detroit in the fifties and sixties. Motown was a very segregated city in those days. I lived an all-white neighborhood and went to a public school where I was surrounded by kids like me. There were "colored people," that's what they were called in those days, living in Detroit but they had their area of town and we had ours.

Something significant happened in my life in 1962. The Board of Education bought all the houses in our neighborhood in order to expand elementary school and convert it into a high school. It was a known fact that the new high school would be one of the first to be fully integrated. Most of our neighbor chose to flee to new homes in the suburbs. My parents made the decision to move further into the city. Over the next several years the neighborhood where our family lived went through several transitions. The riot of 1967 marked the beginning of change. Blacks had made their statement and the city was never the same. My parents lived in that same house until 2004 when they moved to an apartment in a retirement community. Dad died within six months.

My dad never talked much about Dr. King, but I believe they shared a common believe. We all need to learn how to just get along together. People, regardless of color, need to live in peace. I think the reason my folks were able to live in the same home in the city for over forty years was because my dad always viewed his neighbors as his friends. He greeted all people with a friendly hello. As a result those who lived around him tried to watch out for him and mom. Their snow was shovel and their house protected.

So, while the rest of the world reflects on Dr. King, I will reflect on my dad and the heritage he passed on to me. All people are part of God's creation. All people need to be loved. All people need Jesus. "Why can't we all just get along?"

What kind of heritage are you passing on to your children? What do your actions say about your attitude toward those who are different than you?