Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

By Sharon Rose

      Parents Want to Know 101, gives honor to a great American, and commemorates the 27th annual federal holiday of MLK, Jr. Day to be celebrated on January 21, 2013.  Born January 15, 1929, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights, using non-violent civil disobedience and the judicial system to make a difference for minorities in America.  His words still ring true to every parent, and every boy and girl who dreams of climbing the ladder of equal opportunity to great success and freedom in their lives.  At a time when so many in our country are without jobs, I am focusing on the historical event, March on Washington, which was held to provide a platform for jobs and freedom.  The I Have a Dream speech given by Dr. King on August 28, 1963, has become a signature speech, familiar to many.  This is a great day to re-visit that speech and share its' words and meaning, as a family.  He spoke of the door of opportunity he wanted to see open for all people, for all children.  His words were always powerful and visionary. You can listen to various speeches by Dr. King at online websites that have archived many of his speeches.  Here are selected excerpts from the speech, I Have a Dream:

                      “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time

                      to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of

                      racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial

                      injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a

                      reality for all of God's children.”

                     “We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood

                     and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only." We cannot be

                     satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York

                     believes he has nothing for which to vote.  No, no, we are not satisfied, and we

                     will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like

                      a mighty stream.”

                     “I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today

                      and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American

                      dream.

                      I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning

                      of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created

                      equal."  I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former

                      slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at

                      the table of brotherhood.

                      I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with

                      the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed

                      into an oasis of freedom and justice.

                      I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they

                      will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

                       I have a dream today.”

                       “And if America is to be a great nation this must become true.  So let freedom

                         ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.  Let freedom ring from

                         the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening

                         Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! 

                         Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

                         Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

                         But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

                         Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

                         Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every

                         mountainside, let freedom ring.

                         And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring

                         from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be

                         able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men,

                         Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing

                          in the words of the old Negro spiritual, ‘Free at last! free at last! thank God

                          Almighty, we are free at last!’ ”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on the National Mall, Washington, D.C., as he  presents his speech, "I Have A Dream." 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. King being arrested during the Montgomery, AL Bus Boycott to stop the segregation on the city buses.  The boycott was launched when Rosa Parks, a seamstress refused to give up her seat to a white man.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Monument on the National Mall, Washington, D.C.  I took this picture the first time I visited the monument, February, 2012.

I listened as National Tour Guide of the National Park Service gave a biography of
 Dr. King and a history of the monument.

"The Dream," realized.  Dr. King reaches across the span of time to join hands with President Barack Obama, first African American President of the United States of America.  

                

      Let's expose our children to the many doors of opportunity that are open today.  Let's seek out the information on opportunities and keep our parent involvement in their educational endeavors high.  It is through education that we will achieve our greatest freedom. 

      MLK, Jr. Day is designated as a National Day of Service in which we all do our best to volunteer helpful hands in areas that need urgent assistance in our nation.  A fitting tribute to a man who helped so many. 

 


Adult Reading Selections:  I Have a Dream: Writings and Speeches That Changed the World, Special 75th Anniversary Edition (Martin Luther King, Jr., born January 15, 1929), by Martin Luther King (January 30, 1992).

A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Clayborne Carson, Kris Shepard and Andrew Young (January 1, 2002).


Children's Reading Selections:  My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers Growing Up With the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by Christine King Farris and Chris Soentpiet (December 27, 2005).

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr. (Scholastic Bookshelf), by Jean Marzollo and J. Pinkney, January 1, 2006.

A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Picture Book Biographies), by David A. Adler and Robert Casilla (June, 1991).



Copyright, Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Sharon Rose, Parents Want to Know 101, January 15, 2013.  All rights reserved.