Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.
You’re a hero to so many, but I’d like to take a moment to
tell you why you are mine.
When sharing your accomplishments with students, describing the
doors you opened, opportunities you produced, changes resulting from your
leadership in the USA and the world, my admiration is evident to them.
Then I tell them about my experience in high school.
I was on a mission since elementary school to go away to
college, which would be out of the question without a major scholarship. I not
only dreamed it, I worked for it: in academics, activities, social
choices. In senior year I achieved
an incredible goal- earning a portable scholarship that would give me a “free
ride” at any university of my choice, as long as I could get in. (You’ll remember those were the days when $10,000
could actually pay for four years at a premier school.)
And yet I could not even apply to Harvard, Yale, or Notre
Dame, nor to any of the military academies. Acceptance at any one of these was an
American benchmark of academic success. So whether or not I even chose to
attend one of them, I was denied the chance to test my credentials against the
best seniors in the country.
At that time, those schools didn’t even accept applications
from “my kind” of people.
At this point I can’t resist asking students why I, with my
fair skin and blonde hair, would be excluded.
Time after time, someone finally wonders aloud- “Are you
really black?”
Once the laughing subsides, I tell them the truth.
I tell them that you are my personal hero because your
leadership resulted in laws that ended discrimination against me. And I explain that those laws established
the right for each and every one of them to choose goals and work toward them
with their only limits being their own hard work and perseverance.
And that if I wanted to attend any of those universities today I
was now free to apply.
Because, thanks to your leadership, risks, and sacrifices,
along with those of so many others, now every one of those schools accepts
women. That change took place too late for me.
So, Martin, not just on your birthday or during Black
History Month, I thank you for your vision and accomplishments. You threw open
the doors of opportunity for me and for everyone else to live in a country that
guarantees equality, or recourse when that has been denied.
And Martin, we still have a long way to go, but the story of
the struggle continues to be told, with picture books often leading the way.
Here’s hoping teachers and families will find some here to share.
Martin’s Big Words by
Dorren Rappaport/Bryan Collier, 2001 Caldecott Honor Book. Hyperion Books for
Children.
Don’t miss the inspiring author’s/illustrator’s notes and
Collier’s dedication.
My Brother Martin: A Sister Remembers by Christine King Ferris/Chris Soentpiet. 2003. Simon and
Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Read the afterward in which Christine writes about her
brother as a young child. Back matter includes the illustrator’s notes and the
tribute poem by Mildred D. Johnson- share with kids!
Heart and Soul: The Story of
America and African Americans. Kadir Nelson. 2011. Balzer and Bray (Harper
Collins) *Fingers crossed for
Caldecott and/or Newberry *
One hundred pages of compelling artwork and first person
narration by a fictional African America relating a personally connected
history of Africans in America from the 1600’s to the present. Don’t overlook
the dedication or the extensive back matter, including timeline, bibliography,
author’s note, and index.
See what young people in the Milwaukee area have to say about MLKJr's Legacy in their lives.
See what young people in the Milwaukee area have to say about MLKJr's Legacy in their lives.
