by Julia Lewis, Upper Elementary student
Last week in UE, we learned about Martin Luther King. After making timelines about his life and listening to the fifth graders present in assembly (the script is attached below) we watched his powerful speech, I have a Dream. We were asked to write a small speech or few sentences about what we believed in. I wrote my own piece about what I thought was right and real. Here is my speech: We Cannot Hide.
We Cannot Hide By Julia Lewis
I have a dream that we who have everything will be able to share with those who have nothing.
I have a dream that the world will link together and realize that we are not alone, but that we must build our foundation on sturdy rock.
We today wallow in a comfort that only goes as far as our personal needs, but the comfort we cling to is a fake mirage. There is a world just beside our doorstep that struggles with the small task of collecting a meal for their family, drinking a sip of safe water, building a small shelter from a cardboard box and living in the cruel clutches of debt.
I have a dream that everyone will follow the simple rules we have learned in preschool, such as “share with others,” “use words, not fists,” “respect others” and best of all, “treat others the way you want to be treated.” If you could use these simple rules, this world would be in a place where the mirage of comfort would be gone and a real life sanctuary would blanket us.
Timeline: Martin Luther King, Jr Assembly Presentation
Ethan:
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929 in Atlanta. He was one of three children; his mother, Alberta, was a former schoolteacher and his father, Martin Luther King, Sr., was pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. His grandfather was pastor of the Church before him. In his adult life, Martin Luther was co-pastor with his father.
Nolan:
King attended segregated schools while growing up. Segregated schools are when black students and white students are separated. King graduated from high school at age 15 and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1948 from Morehouse College. He then attended Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, PA. King completed his PhD in theology from Boston University in 1955. He met and married his wife, Correta Scott, in Boston; they had four children.
Alexis:
King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, AL in 1954. In Montgomery, he helped inspire the black community during a 382-day boycott of the city's bus system -- an outgrowth of the arrest of Rosa Parks. King's house was bombed, and he and other boycott leaders were convicted of conspiracy. But in December 1956, the Supreme Court declared Alabama's segregation laws -- and bus company practices -- unconstitutional.
Noah:
King was a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1957, he and other black ministers founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom -- August 28th 1963 -- saw more than 250,000 protesters; here King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. In 1964, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act.
Will:
Many people disliked King's moderate and nonviolent techniques. Other black leaders were more militant, specifically Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael. His last speech, given during a sanitation worker strike in Memphis, acknowledged turbulent times but was titled "I've Been To The Mountaintop." He was assassinated the following day, April 4th 1968, by James Earl Ray.
James:
Congressman John Conyers of Michigan introduced legislation for a commemorative holiday in 1968. In 1973, Illinois became the first state to adopt MLK Day as a state holiday. It took 15 years for Congress to pass a bill marking the holiday. President Reagan signed it in 1983, and it became effective in 1986. Utah was the last state to recognize MLK Day by name, and South Carolina was the last state to make MLK Day a paid holiday for all state employees -- both happened in 2000. If Dr. King was alive, he would be turning 83 next week.
Katie:
Today we remember MLK for many reasons; as the youngest man to win the Nobel Peace Prize, a follower of the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, King is one of the world's best-known modern advocates of nonviolent social change. Dr. King inspires us not only to dream of a better world, but how to achieve it. I am sure Dr. King would have agreed with Dr. Montessori: that “Establishing lasting peace is in the work of education.” Not just in our school, but in our communities.
Like Martin Luther King Jr., We all have dreams for our future:
Noah: I have a dream that one day the rich will give to the poor.
Nolan: I have a dream that one day there will be no more homeless people, that everyone will have the money for what they need.
Alexis: I have a dream that one day physical and emotional abuse end – for people and animals.
Will: I have a dream that one day the world will have peace. That the people of the earth will not fight, but be nice to each other
James: I have a dream that one day families in Cambodia will have the resources they need to survive: food, water, clothing, houses and schools.
Ethan: I have a dream that one day people will take each other for who they are, not who we want them to be.
Katie: I have a dream that one day there will be no more war or fighting.
Zee: I have a dream that one day all bullying will stop and everyone will be accepted for who they truly are.
Nora: I have a dream that one day the Earth will not be shaken by war, but that brothers and sisters will unite
Ethan: We hope you learned something about Dr. Martin Luther King today and that you, too, continue to dream. If you are interested in Dr. King and his work, please ask any Upper El student, come see our timelines outside of the UE classrooms, or check out one of the several books Martha has in the Library.
All 5th graders: Thank you! And thank you Dr. King for all you have done for us.
