One of those moments...a back to school conversation where everything made perfect sense.

The goal since last week was to make a trip to IKEA in New Haven to get a small shelving unit for Chitunga's books that he purchased for his first semester as a full-time college student. His classes begin in less than a week and I promised him we'd suit up a mini-office area in his room.

He's known since day one that the twins taught me the three ways to be successful in America: education, education, and education. I realize, too, that education has been my mother and father. And so it must be his.

We then pulled into a Targets to get baskets for the shelving unit (to store his goods) and we stopped in the parking lot for another of the deep conversations we've had over the last few months. The dialogue usually balances between what support he needs and what expectations I have. It's a security issue, one of trust, honesty, and communication - the areas we've worked on since day one. As normal, the layers of talk were thick and I told him, "We got to get this out before we go into the store."

As we talked, I told him, "We might want to stop for a second and reflect that we're discussing this on Martin Luther King day. Here he is a Zambian/Congolese kid who survived a tough school district. He's met my cousin who does his work in S. Africa, my family, and all the young men who joined forces with me when I was in Syracuse. We've had numerous conversations about the military, Ferguson, an American dream, hard work, making money, global responsibility, and ethics. After we talked, we shook hands and briefly hugged before looking into the distance to see a giant American flag. I said, "That means something."

Of course, then we ran into a mini-globe and I said, "You need this for your desk, too." No, the water is not blue, but black and that is a part of the appeal. I told him, "As long as your under my care, you cannot forget global history and the darkness that comes from violence, conflict, and the unwillingness to get along. In my house, you think globally and act locally. You keep that flag close to your heart, and you make education a priority."

It seemed like a great way to spend yesterday after I left my office. It was my nod to Martin Luther King and commitment to seeing another kid succeed.