On January 20, 2014, David Tarver was privileged to speak to the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) North Campus Community at the annual Martin Luther King Spirit Awards event. His address walked the audience through the civil-rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s as seen through the eyes of “a kid from Flint, Michigan.” He touched on the impact of the civil-rights movement, and the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King, on our past, present, and future. The core message in his address was that Dr. King helped to set the template for our humanity, and that that template is more important than ever in an age of rapid social, cultural, and technological change.