An aside regarding the legacy of Dr. King

Dr. King acknowledged the worth of every human being.  He was a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and followed his teachings.  Together Gandhi and King managed to fight and triumph over tyranny in an effective nonviolent manner.   Once, while walking the streets outside the Ebenezer Baptist Church in downtown Atlanta, the old church on one side of the street, the modern replacement on the other, I had the honor of meeting and befriending a schoolmate of Coretta Scott King.  To my astonishment she guessed what part of Massachusetts I came from, stating that I looked as if I came from the Kennedy's back yard; perhaps it was my preppy attire or McLean’s “boys regular” hairdo, I was younger then, but she knew I was from Hyannis and that fact alone made her open up to me in a very special and welcoming way.  She lit up with many anecdotes of how friendly the Kennedy family was to her over the years and invited me to spend some time with her as she attended to tourists in her capacity as a church spokeswoman.  I accepted and she took me by the arm as we walked together as she answered questions from several pilgrims visiting the sacred ground.  When there was a break in the action, she spent time with me explaining how important and necessary it was that I fought for my cause using the methods of Dr. King and Mahatma Gandhi.  You see, at the time I was a “father’s advocate” funded by several federal grants in order to lobby for father’s rights and encourage more men to become connected with their children.  She explained how difficult it would be for me to break through the many modern day biases stacked against responsible fathers.  She told me of her knowledge relating to the suffering of young families without fathers, especially in the Atlanta area.  She told me that I would be subject to criticism and many forms of attack while holding firm to the ideals of equality.  She related to me many of her own personal stories of oppression.  She told me about the challenges of adhering to the concept of civil disobedience, especially when angry factions would insistently attempt to topple and subjugate my resolve and conviction.  As I was leaving, she gave me a hug and sighed, wishing me God’s blessing, stressing that it would not be easy.  She was right.

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