Matin Luther King Jr. Remembered

Hillwood Academic Day School is closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor the life and work of this civil rights activist.

Erion and Jay made the following video clip, and the story below is by Hillwood graduate Julian G., who is now at Sacred Heart. The article includes a video clip from "Meet the Press," and shows Dr. King being interviewed. The clip reveals him as an amazing speaker and someone able to handle an aggressive interview style.



Marin Luther King Jr. is known by everyone for giving rights to blacks.

He began his career as a Baptist preacher. He went on to lead the civil rights movement, and he also made history.

Jim Crow laws were terrible. They did not let blacks sit in the front of the bus and they had to give up their seats if a white person was standing. They had to eat in separate restaurants, go to separate public restrooms, and even separate public schools. But in 1954 Jim Crow lost to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court declared separate schools for blacks and whites was unequal. The case was called "Brown v. Board of Education."

Black people were tired of the racism, so they boycotted the bus system because a woman named Rosa Park in Montgomery, Alabama, was arrested for not giving up her seat to a white person. Thirteen months later the bus gave in because of the cash flow problems with no one riding the bus.

The Montgomery boycott inspired more people to join him. In 1963 Dr. King and other civil right leaders organized the march in Washington. More than two hundred thousand people came to for demand equality for blacks.

The Civil Rights movement was changing the nation. In 1964 Congress passed the Civil Rights act which made racial discrimination in public places legal. He also got the Nobel Peace Prize.

On April 4, 1998 Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, by James Earl Ray. But, still Dr. King's words, speeches and his legacy lives on with us. He inspired Hispanics, women, and even the disabled.

Below is an interview with Martin Luther King and several journalists on the television show Meet the Press, which ran on national TV, in the mid-1950s. Meet the Press is a news show that still airs on regular TV today.



Hillwood Herald readers: Don't forget school is closed on Monday in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King day.

Exploritorium Exhibit of "Science in the City" Opens

The Exploratorium is having a new exhibit called Science in the City. The exhibit answers questions about San Francisco like "Why are there so many one-footed pigeons?, Where does sewage go?, Who--or what-coordinates traffic lights?," and more.

You should visit locations in and around San Francisco for explorations of engineering, ecology, optics, waves, geology, architecture, weather and more. If you want more information go to the Exploratorium website. Also, if you looking for something to do on Martin Luther King Day, you may want to consider day camp at the Exploratorium.

The following is our video about this story:

Story and vide by Jay and Erion

Who Was Rosa Parks?

Up until 1955, all places in America had separate places for blacks and whites: different drinking fountains, different restrooms, different sides of the buses, schools, and even different neighborhoods.

But on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a local black seamstress of Montgomery, Alabama, refused to give up her seat to a white man. She was arrested and fined that same day for breaking a "city ordinance." This incident led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., many black people in Montgomery refused to ride buses. They,instead, carpooled, walked, and took taxis. Because of the sudden decrease of bus riders, bus companies began to lose money. In order to regain financial strength, the law changed for all people to be equal and for non-segregation.

Rosa Parks' refusal of her bus seat led to the boycott which led to legalizing non-segregation. She remains important in our society not just because of her standing up to unjust laws, but also, Rosa Parks fought for civil rights and gave speeches to teach young children about the history of our country.

You can read Julien G.'s related story about Dr. Martin Luther King.

Watch this video about what happened on December 1, 1955.

What Will You Do on MLK Day?

Student Assignment: Jennifer

Hillwood, like most schools in the city, has Martin Luther King Day off. Students can pay to join other kids at a day-long camp at the Exploratorium.

Write a news story announcing this camp. Include all of the key details, from times and cost. You may pull from the following, as well as the Exploratorium's website. You will also want to include what activities kids can join in on. Your story should be at least 10 to 15 sentences long.


One-Day Camps for kids ages 5–10
Give your kids the Exploratorium camp experience on school holidays and SFUSD furlough days. On Monday, January 17 (Martin Luther King Day), 5- and 6-year-olds investigate all things dirt, while 7- to 10-year-olds dissect owl pellets and examine microscopic pond organisms to learn about the food chain. To see a full list of camp dates and descriptions and preregister (required) your campers, visit our website.