Thanksgiving 2023 Reflections — Planting Gratitude and Harvesting a Bounty

This article originally appeared in The Washington Informer on November 21, 2023. 

“Thank God for what we have left.” — Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.

For many people, the Thanksgiving season is a time for expressing gratitude to God for our many blessings. I have been spending time this season reflecting on how grateful I am to have been raised by my parents, Rev. A.D. King and Dr. Naomi King. My father’s legacy lives on in his powerful sermons, and writings, and in the work and lives of his children.

While my mother Naomi, also known by her fans as “the Butterfly Queen,” is 92, years old now, she continues to advocate globally for peace and justice. I recently traveled to Amsterdam as her stand-in as she was slated to share her long-earned wisdom with the world.

While the world seems to be crumbling around us, we must take heart in the lessons of our fathers and mothers who survived during much darker days than these. In those dark hours, their lips did not drip with hate; rather they turned to the wisdom of the Scriptures to guide their actions.

Read full op-ed in The Washington Informer.