This picture shows three of my students working together today. I guess I am always surprised when we are open for students to come study and more than half stay home to sleep in. I have one student whose family has a reunion and they attend a special service together. I think that is wonderful and amazing, however, the majority do not observe the day in any way at all.We read and discussed Letter from a Birmingham Jail today. If you have never read it I highly suggest you do. The kids were amazed at the all the 'big words' he used. They were amazed at how 'educated' he sounded. They were amazed at how he refered back to rabbis, Socrates, Paul, Jesus, and Hitler. They were amazed at how he used history to show that oppressors call people who fight for equal rights agitators. They were amazed that someone would being willing to be abused and go to jail for others. They were amazed that the 'middle ground' caused more harm than those who fought against equal rights. I could keep going with all the things that amazed them.
They also learned how Dr. King felt about just and unjust laws. They heard in his words how non-violence coupled with action changes the world. They heard how 'peaceful police officers' used attack dogs and weapons against children and elderly. They began to get a feel for how strong the people had to be to continue a path of non-violence. They formed action statements for how they would deal with discrimination when they saw it. They heard from my mom who was in highschool when the original letter was published. It made a difference.
We talked about how stereotypes are continued in the media. We talked about how black stars are using their power and influence. We talked about the possibility that a black man could seriously run for President of the US in just a couple years. In 40 years we have gone from Southern Blacks getting murdered trying to vote to the possibility of an African American President. We talked and education being the greatest equalizer.
When one of the moms of one of my African American students came in today, she made a comment about how her son had 'tried' to take a holiday. She told him Dr. King was all about education and that Dr. King would be very proud and honored that he chose to go to classes and be educated. I wish more of my parents felt that way. There is so much to know about this truly amazing man and it makes me sad that his day has turned into just another excuse to sleep and shop.
May we see the eyes of God in every human we encounter.
4 comments:
That's a great post; I'm so glad to see that the kids who were there took such an interest in him. If this is something you continue in years down the road, you might want to see if you can get your hands on an audio CD of "The Autobiography of Martin Luther King." It's a multi-CD set narrated by Lavar Burton, but a huge majority of the material is recordings of King speeches and sermons (all of which are powerful) -- and it also includes a recording of him reading the Birmingham letter. Having them read the letter while listening to it in his voice might make a great impact.
E-mail me off-line if you're interested; I might be able to get a copy to you.
- Matt
Thanks Matt, I do have quite a few of his biographies and one or two autobiographies. We study history on a 4 year cycle and on the American history year (next year) we spend a lot of time on the civil rights movement, and I have an old A&E DVD that has many of his speeches, letters and interviews. I like using a multi-media approach too :) Hearingand seeing MLK speak is very powerful! On the other 3 years we just take a break from our normally scheduled studies to renew our spirits with one or two of his speeches or letters.
Wow Sandie, what an amazing day you and the kids had!! I feel very hopeful after reading your post.
Susan
Sandie, I really enjoyed reading that. Your students are getting a great education!
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