Getting to Know MLK

This happened on Thursday, January 16, 2009.
The picture of Martin Luther King Jr. placed in the calendar slot for January 19 sparked a lively exchange between two children. "That's Barack Obama." "No, it isn't." "Yes, it is." "No, it isn't.""Yes, it is." "No, it isn't." "Who is it then?" "I don't know but I don't think it is Barack Obama." This exchange inspired the question of the day the following morning: "Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?" The possible responses: a dad, a leader, a president. Several children wrote their names under "a leader." Some wrote their names under both "a leader" and "a dad." A few children chose "a president." Some children did not answer the question at all for fear of making a mistake. Our subsequent discussion about this question elicited some questions (e.g., "Is he still alive?" and "How old is he?") and led us to the book, My Brother Martin, written by Christine King Farris, Martin's older sister, and illustrated by C. Soentpiet. The children's complete attention to the words and illustrations reveal their growing curiosity about the man named Martin Luther King, Jr.

The book showed the children that Martin and his siblings enjoyed a childhood not very different from their own. Martin and his siblings liked to play and have fun. They also belonged to a loving home and lived in a neighborhood where black and white families lived on the same street. The book also told about the day their white playmates told Martin and his brother that they could not play with them anymore because they were "Negroes." "What does that mean?" The children wanted to know. "It is a word that people used to call Black people many years ago. Now most people use the word 'Black.' 'Negro' is also the Spanish word for the color black." "Who told the children not to play with Martin and his brother?" The children wanted to know. In the story, it was implied but not directly stated. "Why couldn't they play anymore?" In the story, Martin and his siblings had asked their mother that same question. Their mother replied, "They just don't understand..." To which, Martin responded, "Mother Dear, one day I am going to turn the world upside down." We asked the children what that means. The children paused to think. One child said that it means that the houses will be standing on its roof and people will be upside down on their heads. No one laughed. Many imagined the same thing. Then another child spoke. "No. It is actually an expression that means that things will become different because there will be change." The explanation was confirmed by teachers and accepted by the children. It made sense. Then the children listened to the stories of racial discrimination Martin's father experienced. We drew upon the story of Ruby Bridges to help children recall the concept of segregation and its impact on people. The children remembered. Some children commented that the situations were unfair. Some children expressed indignation. The last few pages of the book told how Martin turned the world upside down when he was a man. We also talked about what "march" meant as used in the book in reference to the March in Washington. To conclude our book experience, we read the appended poem by Mildred D. Johnson, A Tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. When we reached the last stanza of the poem, the poet referenced the song, "We Shall Overcome." Instantly, one voice among our young audience began to sing softly, "We shall overcome..." Other voices spontaneously joined in. When the last word on the poem was utterred, the singing became louder. "...Oh deep in my heart, I do believe that we shall overcome someday." Martin Luther King, Jr.'s story has indeed touched the hearts of our young students. It is likely that he will not be confused with Obama anymore.