Originally posted on Facebook on Saturday, May 1, 2021.

In Week 18 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for my brother Nehemiah Luckett.

Nehemiah Luckett brings joy wherever he goes.

There's a group of thirty to forty family and friends that have come together to throw a surprise birthday party for our beloved mother Rose Luckett. Babalu's in Jackson, Mississippi is an intimate space that always hopping, so the chatter, occasional squeals and laughter of our group do little to affect the regular noise level of the restaurant. The cake is being brought out and everyone is ready to engage in the usual fare of singing "Happy Birthday To You", when suddenly, Nehemiah lights a sparkler and begins to belt out a full-throated and joyous rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday".

He dances in place, claps his hands, throws back his head and blankets the entire restaurant with the warmth of the melody. In moments, the people from the other tables are joining in, the people from the bar are singing and the staff and cooks in the kitchen are dancing. Nehemiah transforms the moment into one that everyone can share.

That is his M.O.. Nehemiah uses his gift of music and every possible occasion to bring people together and to create shared spaces of compassion and celebration. I could go on about his performances internationally, about his awards, how his work has been featured on NPR and The New York Times but this is his legacy, the signature of his life: Nehemiah Luckett brings joy wherever he goes.

I can attest that Nehemiah has been this way his entire life. He is always kind. He is, as my mentor Dr. Gregory Jones would often say, "better by nature than I am by practice."

Nehemiah Luckett is my brother and a beautiful human being. I'm grateful. #52WoG