Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day to remember a great civil rights leader, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and a man who had a dream and changed the world.

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day by remembering that we shall never stop dreaming! Especially dreaming about world peace, and that ALL people are respected and treated equally. We shall see the day when differences will be not just tolerated but admired! Since it is our differences that make us unique individuals: beautiful and kind, capable of holding each other’s hands across the globe, remembering that we are all one big family!

I HAVE A DREAM …

“I Have a Dream!” Martin Luther King Jr. said in August of 1963 in Washington D.C. And it was a beautiful dream that had become a reality for so many people! “One drop raises the sea!” I teach my children. Every thought matters, every deed can bring on a change, while hope and trust in the goodness of humanity will help us see it through. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Facts To Know

• Dr. King was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was named after his father. He was called M.L. (FUN FACT: Dr. King and his father were both named Michael King. But his father changed their names in 1934.)
• When he was six, M.L.’s best friend told him he was no longer allowed to play with M.L. because M.L. was black and his friend was white. That was very upsetting to M.L.
• M.L.’s mother told him he was just as good as anybody else. He wiped his tears and promised that one day he would change the world!
• When he was 14, he entered a speech contest and he won. He made people THINK! He made people FEEL! In his own words: ” … let us see to it that … we give fair play and free opportunity for all people.”
• M.L. skipped two grades in high school. He started college very early – at the age of 15. He finished college at the age of 19. He wanted to be a minister like his father.
• In 1952, M.L. met Coretta Scott and fell in love. They got married and had four children.
• Change for Peace: M.L. received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. At that time, he was the youngest person ever to have received it. He was just 35 years old.

Dr. King gave over 2,500 speeches during the last 11 years of his life. He told people to love each other like brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, some people did not listen. In 1968, when M.L. was in Memphis, Tennessee, a man with a gun assassinated Dr. King. The world lost a man who helped make a world a better place with PEACE and JUSTICE!

A Memorial To Peace

You can visit a national memorial to Dr. King in Washington D.C. The “Stone of Hope” is carved out of granite. This colored rock is called “Shrimp Pink.” From far away, the “Stone of Hope” looks gray. But up close, it is really many colors. The colors stand for all the different people n the world. That is because Dr. King stood up for ALL people to be treated equally.

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PEACEFUL CHARACTER

To discuss the qualities Martin Luther King Jr. believed so strongly in, we talked about a Peaceful Character, and what really takes to be peaceful. The following characteristics must be present: Respect (the pivotal ground that holds all other “fingers”), also Caring, Fairness, Responsibility, Trustworthiness, and Citizenship! 

Being respectful and tolerant of differences is the cornerstone and pivotal characteristic of a Peaceful Character. 

 The “Respect” part takes up the entire palm of the 🖐🏻hand!

We also talked about discrimination, and how would children feel if they were not allowed on a bus for example because their hair color was brown, while everyone else had either blond or red hair. Julia thought it would be very cruel and unjust to judge someone by an external characteristic they have no control over.

By the time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King, heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) and the activist Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), had entered the national spotlight as an inspirational proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

Children put together the “Children of the World” Puzzle (buy here). “This is Our Dream!” they said.

The informational card about Martin Luther King Jr. is from World Peace Makers.

What a beautiful message to remember!

p.s. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance. “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.” Martin Luther King, Jr.,

We remember … to be peaceful, respectful, kind and loving!

For more about our ☮️PEACE Education, read here “🕉Mindfulness with Children.”

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♡ Enriching the Mind one Heart at a time ♡

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