I’m president of Morehouse College. Here’s my advice to protesters.

David A. Thomas is president of Morehouse College.

When I was 12 years old, I could smell Kansas City burning from my backyard. Neighbors angered by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. marched with their fists in the air. Their show of unity was met with tear gas. Soon, shops were set ablaze.

Back then, the fight was to be valued and respected as contributing citizens; to bring attention to discriminatory practices in voting, education, housing, health care and employment; and to stop the violence blacks had suffered for generations at the hands of police sworn to serve and protect them.