What has MLK day traditionally looked like in schools?
Martin Luther King Jr Day is right around the corner. Most classrooms cover the holiday with some sort of activity right before students have the day off.
Depending on the grade level you most likely mentioned he was an important figure in history that addressed racial injustice. I’m sure you covered parts of his “I Have A Dream” speech or at the very least the gist of that speech. Maybe you covered in more detail the civil rights movement.
But my question for you is, is this enough? Or are these surface-level lessons/activities? Rashid Darden, an English/language arts and social studies teacher at YouthBuild public charter school in the District of Columbia stated It’s not that the “I Have a Dream” speech, which King delivered as part of the 1963 March on Washington, is unworthy of teaching, It’s that it’s almost never taught in its entirety, with an eye to its specific rhetoric, craft, and audience”. Why don’t we get into deeper conversations?
Books: Something Happened in Our Town (A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice)
A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/mlk-more-than-i-have-a-dream
Is Your Comfort Level Holding You Back?
I’ve attended so many meetings and conferences where teachers share that they are uncomfortable with talking to their students about the country’s history. They worry they’ll say something wrong. Or that their students are too young to learn about the nation’s cruel and oppressive history.
Educators, you are not popping students’ innocence bubble by bringing up these issues. BIPOC students deal with it regardless of the exposure you bring. And students who are not in the BIPOC community have already seen or heard subliminal messages, microaggressions towards their peers or other members in the community. How can we tackle racism if we don’t talk about racism?
Books: Civil Rights Then and Now: A Timeline of the Fight For Equality in America
I am Brave: A Little Book about Martin Luther King, Jr. (Ordinary People Change the World)
Good Night Martin Luther King Jr. (Good Night Our World)
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/martin-luther-king-jr/
It’s Not Just About Racism
Here’s the deal with MLK day of course we should address what he contributed to society. But part of his legacy is about courage, speaking up, and peaceful protests. The importance of taking action.
His legacy is about freedom, equality, and social justice. We water his message down when we talk about his speech one day out of the year. These concepts and his ideologies should be addressed year-round.
Books: Say Something
Sometimes People March
Speak Up
No Voice Too Small: Fourteen Young Americans Making History
How to Make a Better World: For Every Kid Who Wants to Make a Difference
Has MLKs dream come to fruition?
One of the most important questions that should be asked when it comes to MLK is has his dream come to fruition? What’s the point of looking at history if we don’t connect it to the present?
