To Walk the Talk: The Connection Between Dr. King and My Family

Grad student softball pitcher Courtney Wyche, a native of Silver Spring, Maryland and graduate of Montgomery Blair High School, provides a first-hand account of her family’s connection to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  

This is a repost from a story from Feb. 2022.

Growing up with my family always close has made being a hometown student-athlete at the University of Maryland, College Park that much better. All the experiences and opportunities I have are because of my ancestors' sacrifices and the ones that my family continues to make. 

Celebrating Black History Month is very important to me because I am proud to be a strong, determined, Black woman who has opportunities and choices in life! 

I am blessed and honored to say that I have a personal family connection to the man who many honor as a legend, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. For most, we grow up learning about Dr. King in school, learning that he was a Civil Rights Leader who had a dream and a vision to bring everyone together and make the world we live in a more peaceful place.

The books teach us all the important dates; when he was born, when the Montgomery Bus Boycott took place, the day Dr. King earned the Nobel Peace Prize, and the two very significant dates of his “I Have a Dream” speech and, unfortunately, when he was assassinated. All of these major events are the face of the many actions Dr. King took that people learn about from the books. 

For me, I grew up learning from the stories that my grandfather shared about his first-hand experiences with Dr. King. Listening to my grandfather reminisce about his personal accounts has really enlightened my knowledge of Dr. King’s impact during the Civil Rights Movement.

My grandfather, Dr. LaMonte George Wyche Sr., is the patriarch of my family, having been blessed with so much wisdom in his lifetime. He was one of few African Americans to have earned his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois with an area of concentration in the School of Psychology. 

My grandfather’s life changed when he had the honor of being invited to meet with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in March of 1965. During this time in Chicago, Illinois, Dr. King was the president of the Southern Montgomery Improvement Association, which was responsible for the boycott, which lasted a little over 380 days to desegregate the Alabama bus system. 

My grandfather holds this very special time in his life close to his heart. It was the thoughts, moments, and inspirations shared with someone who was an impactful leader and believed in principles that my grandfather also believed in. 

He explained to me that Dr. King and other members of the Southern Montgomery Improvement Association wanted to discuss with him, “issues with Black children who were economically disadvantaged,” especially in the more rural parts of Chicago. Dr. King wanted to address his concerns in a manner that was a non-volatile approach to enlarge the urban environment. During the interaction with my grandfather, he provided me with an invaluable conversation that he had with Dr. King.

My grandfather was asked by Dr. King, “What appears to be the problem here in Chicago with regards to our young people and to the extent they are being involved in the juvenile justice system?” When listening to my grandfather talk about the conversation he had with Dr. King, he was surprised that Dr. King wanted HIS feedback about the youth in Chicago. 

My grandfather shared with Dr. King, “I believe we should attempt to involve our young people in constructive activities to keep them out of the juvenile justice system.” 

Based on my grandfather’s recommendations, Dr. King wanted to create a positive movement to assist the youth to be productive citizens so they could learn to respond to life situations in non-volatile ways. 

My grandfather was an instrumental part in making that movement a reality.

My grandfather was able to be a significant part of the National Teacher Corps which was established by President John F. Kennedy. President Kennedy believed that the “torch needed to be passed to a new generation of Americans''. 

Dr. King specifically told my grandfather that he wanted to provide him with the necessary tools to move people forward in the Civil Rights Movement for justice. “I have been to the mountaintop, and I have looked over, and I have seen the promised land. I may not get there with you, but we as a people will get there together.” 

These were words that Dr. King preached at his last sermon before he was assassinated on April 3, 1968. Just as my grandfather is still very impacted to this day by the powerful words from Dr. King, I am inspired by these experiences to help uplift others. 

Being a Black female pitcher in softball allows me to be a role model to young softball players of all races. One day, I will also share these experiences with future generations and pass the “torch” to continue the legacy of serving others.