I was in the 7th grade. My best friend and I played hookie from school one day to go and see Dr. Martin Luther King jr down on the Boston Commons. My mother watched me leave for school as she did every morning in the Washington Elms housing projects. I never told my mom or dad that I played hookie. We were among the children that participated with their parents consent. We never thought to ask for permission. This was during the 1965-1966 school year. My father died in 1968 and I plan to tell my mother after all these years.