What MLK Taught Me About
How to Be a Dad
“We don’t take black money.”
Those were the cruel words my father-in-law, Dr. Little, heard when he was a young man at a public golf course in 1959.
What MLK Taught Me About
How to Be a Dad
“We don’t take black money.”
Those were the cruel words my father-in-law, Dr. Little, heard when he was a young man at a public golf course in 1959.
“Good,” he responded. “Because money is green.”
He left his cash on the counter, turned around, and walked out the door to go play a round of golf.
Later, he and his friends were escorted away by police for playing on a “whites only” course. Rather than exploding into a violent rage, as many others would have done, Dr. Little stayed calm and held his head high during his arrest.
That highly publicized event and his example of a dignified man were instrumental in the future of the golf course, which would be integrated a few years later.
On MLK Day, I find myself reflecting on my father-in-law’s story. I am also reminded that Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech was about being a father. It was about envisioning the future he wanted for his children, and then working to make that dream a reality.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” he said.
