That clue doesn’t take us too long to figure out. The only “King” that’s been to Harlem and that matters to Black history is Dr. King. The day he was assassinated was April 4, 1968. That gives us a place to start. So we all begin looking up events that happened in 1968 in Harlem.

We look up famous people in Harlem born in that year, but nothing fits. It’s a half hour later that Shawn suggests maybe we aren’t looking for a person but a thing; maybe a business or some kind of charity. There are fifty or so companies that sprang up around that time. We run down the list and see if any of them fit the other two clues:

My father was the first, in two places.

Give me everything and I will give you wings

We split up into two groups. Nai, Devonte, and I take the second clue and try to break it down. When would someone be the first to do something? We look up various competitions that took place at that time. They had contests every weekend at the Apollo, but the Apollo opened in 1913. There were other contests, but nothing major, and none were in the right year. Meanwhile, Dell and Shawn try to work out what would give someone “wings.”

It’s two hours before we take a hot chocolate break. The break helps me get fresh eyes. It allows me to see what I should have homed in on to begin with:

“We’re looking at companies that were created in 1968, the year Dr. King was killed. But it had to take the company some time to form, right? Let’s expand our search to companies that opened in 1969 in Harlem,” I suggest. The team gets right on it. Nai is the first to find the list of business, and right away, I see one that could work.

Everyone leans in and looks at my screen. This could be the one. The guys look up the history of the company. Nai and I read about its founder, Arthur Mitchell. When we’re done, we all look at each other with big, goofy smiles. We got it!

Dance Theatre of Harlem!

The King’s death gave me life: The death of Dr. King inspired dancer Arthur Mitchell to form the Dance Theatre of Harlem.

My father is first, in two places: Mitchell was the first Black principal ballet dancer to perform in New York City Ballet, and his company was one of the first American ballet companies to perform in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Give me everything and I will give you wings: The dance company requires its dancers to dedicate their lives to the craft for years before they can perform on the main stage, where they make elegant, gravity-defying leaps.