XXVII (27)

Revisiting past versions of ourselves is like time traveling. Let me clarify. Tomorrow is Dr. Martin Luther King Day, the day we honor the life of Dr. King who was born on January 15th. The holiday was officially established in 1983, 15 years after his assassination in 1968. The elementary school I attended from kindergarten to 2nd grade was Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary in Seattle, Washington. For historical context, my father integrated Miami Beach High School, and went to a middle school in Miami named after an earlier influential black leader, Booker T Washington Junior High. So I’m of the generation that came after. My generation came after the Panthers who were active from the late 60s-mid 70s. I grew up with hip hop.

Time traveling. When I was a senior in high school, I wrote a poem dedicated to MLK and his legacy, and won the grand prize in an essay contest, which in part brought me and my father to Atlanta for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, where I got to meet Coretta Scott King and attend the official church service at the King Center and Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This years theme is “The Urgency of Creating The Beloved Community,” an idea that I feel deeply in my heart right now. I decided to revisit the poem I wrote all those years ago, and it still holds true to me today, just as King’s words are still important now. That’s why we have to keep marching forward, we’ve come too far to stop now.