The
Legacy
by Sierra Kay
ON SUNDAY MORNINGS, my dad often
cooked a full spread of either pancakes
or waffles, scrambled eggs, and Brown
and Serve® beef sausage. He would try to
convince us again that Alaga® syrup was
good (I’m sorry Alaga, but that’s a taste I
never quite acquired). Truthfully I preferred
Log Cabin® or Mrs. Butterworth’s®. Once, I
woke early and my dad was in the usual spot
in our kitchen, which allowed me to spend a
few quiet moments with him. This day we
played a simple card game, a few laughs and
a wonderful time shared between father and
daughter. It’s these moments that I cherish
to this day.
In the little time between his two jobs,
he encouraged debates on any topics. Even
today, years after his passing, Thanksgiving
dinner is more of a precursor to a current
events lesson than anything else.
My father constantly consumed knowledge
and as his children, we did too, by being
able to participate in the discussions
around the kitchen table. My appreciation
for documentaries is a legacy from my dad.
Random bits of knowledge of insects and
Ancient Egypt still float around in my head.
As a child, we actually watched Dr. Who
together. If you’ve never heard of it, then
you’re not quite the nerd that I am. Nor, were
you addicted to public television, as my dad
had been.
Not only that, but we grew up on stories
of my dad and his friend, Malcolm X. Through
some of our talks, I learned that my dad stood
next to many notable, but no less passionate,
historical figures. He could and did speak in
front of hundreds of people.
But to support his family, he dealt with
a lot. First instance, one of his jobs refused
to promote him, and it didn’t matter that he
trained every supervisor that walked through
the door. And every supervisor he had was
white. So for this man, who loved knowledge
more than Walt Disney loved that soon-to-be
famous Mouse, to continually be passed up
for a supervisory position year after year, and
have to train the replacement must have stuck
in his craw deeper than Excalibur in the stone.
Although he shared that disappointment at
one time, he never let it consume him as so
many other men would. It was our lesson on