Regular readers of Blogenberg know my wife is black. I have often thought of my children as a small piece of Dr. King’s legacy. I’ve studied a good bit about the civil rights movement and, while Dr. King is and will always be one of my very, very few heroes, I don’t fall into America’s penchant for Hollywood simplicity when it comes to this important part of our history, suggesting that Dr. King was the man who made it all happen. But I also sincerely believe that my wife and I would not be married were it not for him.

(Carry Me Home, by Diane McWhorter and Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, by Taylor Branch are, in my view, required reading for every American.)

I put one of those small pieces of legacy on a plane today: my 19-year-old son, returning after a five week visit to continue studying piano and composing at a major U.S. conservatory. It’s depressing to see him disappear through the security gate. And it’s thrilling. Just a sophomore, he’s got a plan for where he’s going after conservatory and beyond. He’s doing exactly what he needs to do to bring his plan to fruition — he’s excelling academically and musically.

He’s carrying Dr. King’s legacy very well. Good job.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 21st, 2008 at 11:25 am and is filed under Race and Ethnicity, Family. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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