An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted 1/15/2021,
on the date of Dr. King's actual birthday
Prelude | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | MLK | CMB | 66 | 67 | 68 | Email |
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"In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends."
This entry won't count as one of the ongoing "lessons" in this series, nevertheless the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. certainly merits some thought on this, the actual date of what would have been his birthday.
I harbor no illusions that anyone is much interested in the thoughts of a middle-aged white male on the subject, but for posterity I thought it important to share a musing or two. I grew up in Boston, MA in the 1970's and was likely much more aware of Dr. King and his legacy than some kids in other states. The aftermath of King's assassination was more immediate, more raw in those days, and its importance was not lost on me in elementary school. Observance of the day itself was already a Massachusetts state tradition but certainly not yet a Federal holiday --in fact there was fierce opposition to such a thing, those years. It is here where I sing the praises of my beloved Jamaica Plain-born-and-raised third grade teacher, Alice Haveles, for seizing on that current event and making darned sure a roomful of bored 8 year-olds knew who Dr. King was and what he represented --so compelling was Ms. Haveles's explanation of The March On Washington and the aftermath of the assassination, that we voluntarily stuck around after the 2:15pm bell rang on that January 15th, to listen to some of Dr. King's speeches... on an honest-to-goodness phonograph record. Yeah. That's how you reach an 8 year-old. [grin]
Dr. King's biography, accomplishments, and legacy are of course examined at considerable length elsewhere (to say nothing of far superior artistic representations), but I would humbly ask a favour of any of you who may be reading this with an 8 year-old in YOUR life --be it child, grandchild, neighbor, student, or friend. Please take the time to educate that 8 year-old. It doesn't need to be heavy and complicated --speak to them in their own language and on their own level, but make sure they know this coming Monday isn't just a day off. Ensure they know a little something about what life was like before civil rights. When people with the wrong colour skin were kept from the polls --sometimes violently, and as a matter of official policy. When drinking from the wrong water fountain or using the wrong restroom might risk your life. And why that violent danger is oh-so-very-much STILL THERE and why it still matters. If the previous few years have taught us anything, it is that the specter of racism hasn't gone anywhere and that it must still be reckoned with. And that the next generation is every bit as forewarned.
Would you take the time to do that small thing for an 8 year-old, this week? It'll matter. Especially as that 8 year-old has really only known one President, and likely has little meaningful memory of the previous one. Thank you. From me and from Ms. Haveles, thank you.
"If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way."
Next page - Reflections: The Lasting Impact of Carol Moseley Braun