What it means to share MLK's birthday

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January 15, 2026

Ka’ hea Johnson, left, and Lesly Rangel march down the street carrying signs honoring the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as they participating in the 47th Annual “Original” MLK Jr. Day Parade on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 in Houston.

Sharing the same birthday as MLK still gives me hope

Joy Sewing, Columnist

joy.sewing@houstonchronicle.com

I’ve always felt a sacred pride in sharing a birthday with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Jan. 15).

It’s a date that carries the weight of courage, justice and unfinished dreams. I like to believe that my work matters, that I’m planting seeds of hope, inspiring my children and family and showing up as a good neighbor in my community.

But when I look at what’s unfolding in Minnesota and across the nation, the darkness can feel overwhelming. The light seems to be quickly slipping out of reach.

Despite it being a federal holiday, President Donald Trump removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day from the National Park Service's list of free days. Trump also removed Juneteenth, which commemorates the day the last group of enslaved people learned they were free after the Union won the Civil War, from the list.

This does not diminish King's work and legacy to bring unity and peace. It's why I still believe in the truth: there are good people everywhere. Even now. Especially now.

I hope you take time to enjoy the MLK holiday and what it means, especially now.

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Good for Houston, Bad for Houston

✔️ The Good:

Children’s Museum Houston and Fort Bend Children’s Discovery Center honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.

Two MLK parades have become one

For the first time in decades, Houston residents will gather Monday for a single Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade, a milestone organizers say represents long-overdue unity. According to organizers, the split was rooted less in rivalry than in differing ideas about how King’s legacy should be celebrated. Chronicle reporter Ryan Nickerson examines the divide and unification of the parades in an article published on Sunday.

❌ The Bad:

Whitmire's statement on MLK parades

Politicians love to take credit, but sometimes what they say undercuts the very progress they claim to celebrate. At City Council on Wednesday, Mayor John Whitmire called the unification of the city’s two longtime MLK parades a symbolic achievement. That alone would have sufficed.

Instead, he went on to say: "African American mayors have never been able to pull off the unity of the two parades, and Anglo mayors have never tried. I got elected to make things improve, so we started working with both groups." His statements reflect an unfortunate sentiment that the conflict was a collective failing of Black people, instead of a disagreement among men. He seems to give himself credit because he’s white, not simply a man working to bring unity. He missed that in MLK’s message.

Is there something happening that you think is good or bad for Houston? Hit reply and let me know.

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I’ll be on a live segment of “Good, Bad and Ugly” on Houston Public Media 9 a.m. Friday.