His smile was pure sunshine. He was my dad, and he died one year ago today.

When I was eight years old, I asked him how he would react if I ever married someone white. What should I expect his answer to be? This man was a share cropper’s son. He was born in the 1920′s, and even as a full-grown man, he was obliged to answer respectfully when a white man called him “boy.”

In truth, my question was more dare than earnest inquiry—the silly “what-ifs” children ask to rile their parents. But it’s not what he said that resonated most–though I’ll get to that later–it was how he dealt with bigotry throughout his entire life.