Friend,

This is a short note as we celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. today. I watched the tribute from Ebenezer Baptist Church, I wanted it to be uplifting. I wanted it to commemorate Dr. King's achievements while not sugarcoating the things that he went through.

I see Dr. King as one of the greatest leaders of our time. I see him as a uniter and not as a divider, someone to be celebrated by all people. It was his non-violent course of action to reconcile the nation and to gain equal rights for Black people that I remember. I remember him as a great orator and organizer, a Baptist preacher with a vision for his people and his nation.

I was disappointed with the presentation but, I understand that the current environment is unfortunately not about reconciliation and words matter. I choose to keep my memories of Dr. King without the cloud of the social justice narrative of the "powers that be" mixed with Christian platitudes. Very disheartening and a missed opportunity (just my opinion).