Until he decided to compete for one of three open City Council seats, social justice activist Daniel Lee’s primary Culver City profile had been as a veteran member of the Martin Luther King Day Committee.
No accident.
Early in the Southern-born Mr. Lee’s life, Dr. King dominantly was established as a major hero and role model.
“I admire how much he did for so many types of people,” said Mr. Lee, born 11 years after Dr. King’s assassination. “His chief concern was African Americans. He was repeatedly there for unions. He was repeatedly there for white people.
“When he was shot (April 4, 1968), Dr. King was organizing beyond race, another march on Washington.
“The more and more I think about him, the more and more I reflect beyond his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, the more I see he really is someone I have patterned portions of my life after.”
Once, Mr. Lee had a dream.
“When I was young,” said Mr. Lee, actor-turned-social worker, “I wanted to be a reverend. “
Not anymore, though.
“Growing up in Southern churches, in country churches, (reverends) really had the respect of everyone in the community,” Mr. Lee said. “They tried to help out everyone.”
