My uncle Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr would have opposed profiting from hate

I was born into a family that believed in God, loved America and taught that every human being possesses human dignity. Long before prejudice and identity-based politics became fixtures of American life, I learned a simple truth that guided my family’s work and shaped the civil rights movement itself: we are one blood, one human race.

My family background is very diverse. My grandmother’s family came from the west coast of Africa. My grandfather’s family came from Ireland. My mother’s family included Cherokee roots.