Jones Middle School has partnered with the Upper Arlington Public Library to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. As part of this week’s activities, JMS will be sharing quote and messaging about Martin Luther King Jr.with the students. You can find Monday and Tuesday’s quote below.
If you are looking for an activity to do as a family, the UA library will be offering the following engagement opportunity. Click here to learn more.
| MONDAY: “Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” 8/28/1963, Washington DC
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. After experiencing racism as a young boy, Dr. King made it his life’s mission to bring compassion, fairness, and racial equality to the United States throughout the 1950s and 1960s. He believed in civil rights. Civil rights are rights that are granted by the United States.government that prohibit discrimination against any person for their race, religion, age, disability, gender, sexuality, etc. The civil rights leader fought against segregation (the separation of Black and white people in public places) through marches and nonviolent protests. He was inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, a man who led nonviolent protests in India to gain freedom from British rule. King was a Baptist minister and was married to Coretta Scott King who helped lead the charge during the Civil Rights Movement. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. King’s most famous speech is his “I Have a Dream” speech. In it, he spoke of his hopes and dreams for a better future where there is no injustice or discrimination. He inspired people to work toward that dream and to make their individual voices heard. |
| TUESDAY: “I have also decided to stick to love. For I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems.” spoken on 8/16/67 in Atlanta, GA.
In this quote, Martin Luther King, Jr. was not talking about romantic love or even the love we have for our family. He referred to a love that would inspire people to understand and want the best for others. King believed that we all live in an interrelated community and are dependent upon one another. If the community has problems and is divided, he thought, then trying to solve that division with hate would only make problems bigger and drive people further apart. The version of love that he championed was active and creative…something that could build a better place for everyone. He believed that hate was destructive. Even though King was a proponent of love and peace, his nonviolent protests and marches caused others, such as the police at that time and in certain places, to respond violently. King believed so strongly in his dream for a future without injustice and discrimination that he continued to risk harm and arrest in order to reach his goals for our country. |
Come back tomorrow for more quotes and messaging from Dr. Luther King Jr.
