Happy Martin Luther King, Jr., Day. Really?

Tomorrow is the King Holiday.  The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., would be 82 years old. I was four when he died, so I have no first-hand recollection of his fight for his dream, my nation's loss when he was killed, or the progress, both perfected and unfulfilled, in the 43 years since that spring night in Memphis.  

Color me black. 

But when my five-year-old asked me if we get presents for the King Holiday ("Well, it's a holiday ..."), I realize that I have to decide how I want her to live his legacy.  Though the day is not a holiday in Africa (or, apparently in fair-weather parts of the US - what's up with that, people?), in our house our school and office have the day off, so we'll be together.  

I know we're going to talk about Dr. King, and have a little coloring fun.  But I'm grasping as to how to put this in context.  We walk outside, and every single person we see is Black African, except the expat community bubble we live in, which is decidedly more integrated.  How do I start to instill the Black American experience in a little girl in Black Africa?    

Having Girl 1 end the day with some understanding of how different her life would be had Dr. King not waged his fight will be the best present either one of us could give the other.  My job as dad, and my debt to Dr. King, is to figure that out.