Michelle and I are proud to introduce Zevin Rolihlahla Schwartz, born Nov 16th, 2008 at 10:22 pm, 6 lbs even, 20 inches long. Happy, healthy, wise beyond his hours.
Z’ev means “wolf” in Hebrew, which is where we found his first name. Rolihlahla was Nelson Mandela‘s given name (he was named “Nelson” by his schoolteachers, who forbade African names). It means “treeshaker” or “bender of branches” in Xhusa.
Or, as Nelson tells it, “troublemaker”.
My middle name is “Luther King” (my father marched at Selma), and that has been a big influence on my life. It was something to live up to, a challenge to make right and strong decisions. Any time I considered the low road, I felt it would dishonor Dr. King’s memory if I did.
I hope Zevin feels the same.
More photos…
