Holiday and Day of Service

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Holiday and Day of Service

Background Information, Lesson Plans, and

Internet Resources for the Elementary Classroom

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from Strength to Love, 1963

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Department of Social Sciences

January 2018 (Revised)

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

Ms. Perla Tabares Hantman, Chair

Dr. Martin Karp, Vice Chair

Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall

Ms. Susie V. Castillo

Dr. Lawrence S. Feldman

Dr. Steve Gallon III

Ms. Lubby Navarro

Dr. Marta Pérez

Ms. Mari Tere Rojas

Bryce Febres

Student Advisor

Mr. Alberto M. Carvalho

Superintendent of Schools

Mrs. Maria L. Izquierdo, Chief Academic Officer

Office of Academics and Transformation

Ms. Lissette M. Alves, Assistant Superintendent

Division of Academics

Mr. Robert C. Brazofsky, Executive Director

Department of Social Sciences

An Instructional Note to Teachers about the

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Day of Service

Each year, on the third Monday in January, the nation observes the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Day of Service. The holiday and day of service commemorate the enduring vision and legacy of Dr. King to our nation and the world.

To assist schools, staff in the Department of Social Sciences has developed this instructional resource guide that includes background information, suggested classroom activities, and Internet resources on the life and legacy of Dr. King.

The resources in this instructional resource guide include:

· BACKGROUND INFORMATION - This section of the guide includes detailed background and reference information on the life, career, and service of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

· LESSON PLANS FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS - This section of the guide includes detailed primary and intermediate lesson plans with all support materials needed to teach about the life and contributions of Dr. King.

· INTERNET RESOURCES - Related lesson plans, teacher background information, interactive activities, and downloadable worksheets may be found on the web sites listed in this section of the guide.

· ELEMENTARY CHARACTER EDUCATION RESOURCES – Additional lesson ideas are included in this section of the guide to support the core value of “pursuit of excellence,” which has been designated by the District for the month of January.

Teachers are highly encouraged to utilize the resources and lessons found in this instructional resource guide to reinforce the contributions of Dr. King, whenever appropriate throughout the school year. Teachers are further encouraged to select and adapt the resources and lessons to best fit the needs of their students.

Background Information

· The History of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Day of Service

· Getting Involved - The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

· Biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

· Dr. King’s Achievements

· Timeline of Events in the Life of Dr. King

· Memorable Quotes by Dr. King

· Text of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” Speech

· The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Washington, D.C.

· Photographs of Dr. King

The History of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Day of Service

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an official U.S. holiday which has been celebrated on the third Monday of January since 1986. It is the first new holiday adopted in the United States since 1948, when Memorial Day was created as a “prayer for peace” day. It was one of three new holidays designated during the twentieth century, including Veteran’s Day, first created as Armistice Day in 1926. Dr. King is the only American besides George Washington to have a national holiday designated for his birthday (those of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and others have been celebrated in some states but not nationwide). Internationally, Dr. King is one of the few social leaders of any country to be honored with a holiday. Generally, such an honor is reserved for military or religious figures. Consequently, this holiday is a powerful tribute to Dr. King’s philosophy and nature.

When President Ronald Reagan signed the legislation establishing the holiday in November of 1983, it marked the end of a persistent, highly organized lobbying effort spanning the nation for 15 years. Representative John Conyers (D., Michigan), first introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday four days after Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. The bill became stalled in that legislative session. With help from Representative Shirley Chisholm (D., New York) , Conyers resubmitted the legislation in each subsequent legislative session.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) coordinated a petition drive, which resulted in more than six million signatures being submitted to Congress in 1970. Public support and pressure for the holiday increased during the 1982 and 1983 civil rights marches in Washington, D. C. Finally, a compromise was proposed, moving the holiday from January 15 (Dr. King’s actual birthday), to the third Monday in January, resulting in Congress passing the holiday legislation in 1983. President Ronald Reagan then signed it into law. The King Holiday is celebrated in some form in more than 100 countries throughout the world.

In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as a national day of service and charged theCorporation for National and Community Servicewith leading this effort. Taking place each year on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day off." The MLK Day of Service is a part ofUnited We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.

The History of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday and Day of Service (continued)

The MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems. That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through service projects that strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers, and create solutions.

Getting Involved - The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

Monday, January 15, 2018 will mark the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday. This milestone is a perfect opportunity for Americans to honor Dr. King’s legacy through service. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves us closer to Dr. King’s vision of a beloved community.

Explore the following website to learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and how you can participate in the Day of Service.

http://www.nationalservice.gov/MLKDay

What is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service?

Why Serve on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service?

Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live - creating the Beloved Community.

The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community action that helps solve social problems. That service may meet a tangible need, or it may meet a need of the spirit. On this day, Americans of every age and background celebrate Dr. King through service projects that strengthen communities, empower individuals, bridge barriers, and create solutions.

How can I serve on MLK Day?

People of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities can get involved. To find a service opportunity in your area, visit https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve/search

Source: http://www.nationalservice.gov/MLKDay

Biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a vitally important figure of the modern era. His lectures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. The movements and marches he led brought significant changes in the fabric of American life through his courage and selfless devotion. This devotion gave direction to thirteen years of civil rights activities. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world.

Dr. King’s concept of “somebodiness,” which symbolized the celebration of human worth and the conquest of subjugation, gave black and poor people hope and a sense of dignity. His philosophy of nonviolent direct action, and his strategies for rational and non-destructive social change, galvanized the conscience of this nation and reordered its priorities. His wisdom, his words, his actions, his commitment, and his dream for a new way of life are intertwined with the American experience.

Birth and Family

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born at noon on Tuesday, January 15, 1929 at the family home, 501 Auburn Avenue, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Charles Johnson was the attending physician. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the first son and second child born to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. Also born to the Kings were Christine, now Mrs. Isaac Farris, Sr., and the Reverend Alfred Daniel Williams King, now deceased.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s maternal grandparents were the Reverend Adam Daniel Williams, second pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church, and Jenny Parks Williams. His paternal grandparents were James Albert and Delia King, sharecroppers on a farm in Stockbridge, Georgia.

He married Coretta Scott, the younger daughter of Obadiah and Bernice McMurry Scott of Marion, Alabama, on June 18, 1953. The marriage ceremony took place on the lawn of the Scott’s home in Marion, Alabama. The Rev. King, Sr. performed the service, with Mrs. Edythe Bagley, the sister of Coretta Scott King as maid of honor, and the Rev. A.D. King, the brother of Martin Luther King, Jr., as best man.

Four children were born to Dr. and Mrs. King:

· Yolanda Denise (November 17, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama)

· Martin Luther III (October 23, 1957, Montgomery, Alabama)

· Dexter Scott (January 30, 1961, Atlanta, Georgia)

· Bernice Albertine (March 28, 1963, Atlanta, Georgia)

Education

At the age of five, Martin Luther King, Jr. began school, before reaching the legal age of six, at the Yonge Street Elementary School in Atlanta. When his age was discovered, he was not permitted to continue in school and did not resume his education until he was six. Following Yonge School, he was enrolled in David T. Howard Elementary School. He also attended the Atlanta University Laboratory School and Booker T. Washington High School. Because of his high scores on the college entrance examinations in his junior year of high school, he advanced to Morehouse College without formal graduation from Booker T. Washington. Having skipped both the ninth and twelfth grades, Dr. King entered Morehouse at the age of fifteen.

In 1948, he graduated from Morehouse College with a B.A. degree in Sociology. That fall he enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. While attending Crozer, he also studied at the University of Pennsylvania. He was elected President of the Senior Class and delivered the valedictory address. He won the Peral Plafkner Award as the most outstanding student, and he received the J. Lewis Crozer Fellowship for graduate study at a university of his choice. He was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer in 1951.

In September of 1951, Martin Luther King, Jr. began doctoral studies in Systematic Theology at Boston University. He also studied at Harvard University. His dissertation, “A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman,” was completed in 1955, and the Ph.D. degree was awarded on June 5, 1955.

Honorary Degrees

Dr. King was awarded honorary degrees from various colleges and universities in the United States and several foreign countries. They include:

· Doctor of Humane Letters, Morehouse College

· Doctor of Laws, Howard University

· Doctor of Divinity, Chicago Theological Seminary

· Doctor of Laws, Morgan State University

· Doctor of Humanities, Central State University

· Doctor of Divinity, Boston University

· Doctor of Laws, Lincoln University

· Doctor of Laws, University of Bridgeport

· Doctor of Civil Laws, Bard College

· Doctor of Letters, Keuka College

· Doctor of Divinity, Wesleyan College

· Doctor of Laws, Jewish Theological Seminary

· Doctor of Laws, Yale University

· Doctor of Divinity, Springfield College

· Doctor of Laws, Hofstra University

· Doctor of Humane Letters, Oberlin College

· Doctor of Social Science, Amsterdam Free University

· Doctor of Divinity, St. Peter’s College

· Doctor of Civil Law, University of New Castle, Upon Tyne

· Doctor of Laws, Grinnell College

Career

Martin Luther King, Jr. entered the Christian ministry and was ordained in February 1948 at the age of nineteen at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. Following his ordination, he became Assistant Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Upon completion of his studies at Boston University, he accepted the call of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was the pastor of Dexter Avenue from September 1954 to November 1959, when he resigned to move to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he was co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church.