There have been many books written about the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
In the words of Dr. King’s daughter, Dr. Bernice A. King, “This beautiful and powerful illustrated edition brings my father’s inspiring message of freedom, equality and peace to the youngest among us…those who will one day carry his dream forward for everyone.”
Step 1: Listen to or read the I Have a Dream speech, one of the most memorable speeches in our history. Dr. King delivered this speech to our nation in 1963 with the hope that it would resonate in the hearts and minds of young and old for generations and generations. Today the idea of having freedom and equality for all people is still a dream. We have made positive changes, but there is still much to do.
After listening and/or reading the I Have a Dream speech, take a moment to think about what dream you have for our country that will move it to embracing the concepts of freedom and equality for all!
Step 2: Little-known Facts about Dr. Martin Luther King
All of us know about Dr. King and his commitment to the idea that, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” Below is a list of little-known facts about Dr. King. One of the items on this list is not true. Let’s all vote for the one we think is not true. Be prepared to share your point of view.
- Martin Luther King’s first name was originally Michael King.
- Martin Luther King was a billiards fanatic.
- Martin Luther King skipped two grades and entered college at 15.
- Martin Luther King loved STAR TREK. He described himself as a Trekkie.
- Martin Luther King was an accomplished cook.
- Martin Luther King was originally asked to lead because he was relatively unknown.
- Martin Luther King was arrested more than 25 times.
- Martin Luther King is one of only two Americans to have his birthday celebrated as a National Holiday.
- Martin Luther King wrote five books.
(Answer: MLK was not an accomplished cook.)
Now…think about a little-known fact about yourself that you would like to share.
STEP 3: Dr. King embraced the idea that everyone should perform community service. In doing so, however, he faced many challenges while trying to make his country a better place. Aware that ideas for change come with challenges, Dr. King still felt, life’s most urgent question is: What are you doing for others?
Consider the following:
S.T.A.R. Card: K to 12 students can be exchange agents. For example, there is ten-year-old student Sarah Dewitz who learned about a community center’s under-funded reading room. She decided she wanted to help, she did her research, and she started a project called “Just 1 Book”. She collected thousands of gently used books for children who would otherwise not have books. Can you think of the challenges that Sarah Dewitz might have faced as she prepared and implemented her Just 1 Book project?
STEP 4: Now…think of a need in your community for which you would like to support. Your idea can be something to collect like starting a winter coat drive; something you could create like a welcoming packet for new students; something you could change like the time a local community center closes on the weekends; and/or something you could communicate to your friends and neighbors like setting up a bulletin board to post good things happening in your schools. Be prepared to share ideas of how it would help your community, and as was the case for Martin Luther King, what challenges you might face as you begin your work to do for others.
Circle the type of idea you would like to implement and briefly describe it.
COLLECT CREATE CHANGE COMMUNICATE
Be prepared to share your ideas and the challenges you think you might face.