Black History Month Great Black Person #27 of 29:
Martin Luther King Sr.
MLK Jr gets all the attention, but where would he be without dear ol' dad? Martin Sr paved the way by being the pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and an equal rights activist before Jr was even born. Yes, it's fair to say Sr was a major influence in Jr's life... just look at this well-documented conversation between the two when Jr was just a child:
Jr: Dad, I had a bad dream. Can I sleep with you tonight?
Sr: Sure son, I'm always here for you.
Jr: Thanks dad. That dream really scared me.
Sr: It's okay son, dreams aren't real. In the future, whenever you have a dream, just know that it's not real and that it'll never actually come into being.
Apparently MLK Jr didn't always listen to his father. In actuality, the two didn't always see eye to eye. In fact, Sr was a Nixon-supporting Republican at one point in his life. Still, if not for MLK Sr, there would never have been an MLK Jr and as a result, probably no Black History Month, which means I wouldn't be writing this. So, happy BHM to you, MLK Sr... sorry U2 never wrote a song about you.
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