Relegating it to dusty history books makes them miss out on how far our country has come how much further it has to go and, most importantly, how the passion, righteousness, ideals, and actions of even one person can change our entire world for the better. This is a disservice to children - and not just because they’re missing out on the significance of a crucial piece of American history. “They don't get that they are (in many cases) one generation away from him and that they are directly affected by some of the gains he and others like him fought to achieve.” King is almost a fictional historical character to many young people,” says Tarana Burke, the former associate director of the National Voting Rights Museum in Selma, AL, and the director of Just BE, Inc., a nonprofit that benefits teen girls. For these kids and most of their parents, the days of hoses and snapping dogs and burning crosses might as well have happened 150 years ago, rather than just 50. We have a holiday in his honor and fete his work with sales at the mall. King had a dream, and then he was shot by a bad guy and now black people can do the same things as white people without anyone getting mad about it or in trouble for it. That's no easy proposition for today's generation. Kids Are Missing a Crucial Piece of History This is something that our children and our children’s children need to remember, too. King paid so that he and we could know a world of equality. Still, Daddy will never forget the life he lived as a child. He handcrafted a newer, better life for himself - and later, our family - that eventually included owning a nice house in a Long Island, NY, neighborhood where skin color was much less a concern. He left his parents and moved alone to Philadelphia and then New York so that he could lay some distance between himself and Jim Crow. Martin Luther King Jr., was preparing to lead the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, Daddy, still a teen, put all he knew and loved behind him. Separate and grossly unequal, that was my father’s life as a child - a painful part he tried to leave behind when he, along with countless African-American southerners, made the great migration North. He grew up in rural Virginia, drinking out of “Coloreds Only” water fountains, going to segregated schools, and riding in the back of the bus. Middle school students might be able to take this further and organize a peaceful protest at lunch, recess or after school to raise awareness throughout the school.Daddy remembers. They can then draw a picture or talk about it with the teacher.įor elementary school students this may include a group discussion on a key event while breaking students into small groups to discuss actions that can be taken at the school to increase awareness. This could include an extension of a national movement happening at the time or something very specific to the local school community.įor younger students this might mean a discussion on something that they think isn’t right in the school or with their friends. Teachers can use MLK’s birthday to identify an action they can take in their local school community highlighting a problem and raising awareness. We have all heard the phrase: Think Global, Act Local. Day.Īlso, a great cartoon video introducing MLK to younger students can be found at: King to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. King, record new information on the KWL chart, and keep a journal of their own thoughts and ideas.Īs a culminating activity, they plan a birthday party for Dr. Throughout the week, they explore websites and other sources of information about Dr. King’s birth home and compare it to their own homes. They then read aloud a picture book like My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers and add information to the wall. King-an American hero who lived and died long before they were even born-through reading, writing, listening, and speaking activities that provide a glimpse into Dr. The ReadWriteThink organization created lessons that explore ways to help students identify with Dr. MLK Day provides a great opportunity to teach about heroes.
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