The Hillwood Herald is the news blog of Hillwood Academic Day School. Written and published by the school’s upper grades (fifth through eighth), this blog tracks student, staff, and family happenings at the school.
Showing posts with label Martin Luther King Jr.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Luther King Jr.. Show all posts
In Washington D.C., thousands of people gathered around a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. to hear a speech by President Barack Obama. But Obama wasn't the only one to speak, MLK's son, Martin Luther King III, spoke of how the country lost its soul by allowing teen bullying and economic problems.
Around 1.5 million people were estimated to have visited the statue. The statue is a 30-foot-tall mountain with MLK coming out of it. The statue is a symbol of a line in MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech: "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." The statue is in the National Mall, and is the first statue of an Black leader on site. The statue was sculpted by Lei Yixin, a Chinese artist.
Obama, who was just 6 when MLK was assassinated, feels he owes his presidency to MLK. Obama also feels MLK pushed the nation to what it should be and changed people's hearts and minds.
On the birthday of Martin Luther King, President Obama made a speech in the White House. He gathered young people and old people to listen to his speech. He wanted to remind us that there are many young courageous people like Dr. Dorothy Height, Mrs. Eleanor Banks, and Romaine Thomas and her husband. He also included many others who are actively involved in bringing about great moments in the US history.
Obama said he heard from Willie Glanton, who is a great activist in Iowa. She has done work on the behalf of the civil rights movement, which is reminding us that raciscm wasn't just isolated in some areas. Dr. Height told listeners what it was like meeting Martin Luther King when he was a 15-year-old at the Morehouse.
Click here to readThe Hillwood Herald's coverage on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s holiday and life.
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.
