Every 3rd Monday in January we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s work. Most children know that Dr. King was a leader of the civil rights movement and about his death. However, many children do not know the details and the importance of Dr. King’s work.
Parents.com has a great article on explaining Dr. King’s work to your children for MLK Day. If you are looking for ways to honor Dr. King in the Mercer County area click here to see our article on the different events happening in West Windsor and throughout the area.
We celebrate Martin Luther King Day as a federal holiday. However, the day is meant to serve as a “day on, not a day off.” Most of us treat the day as 3 day weekend. However, this day is meant to be a day of service to help grow and strengthen our “beloved community”. There are many events happening nationwide such as marches for racial equality, food drives to help those in need, and speaking events to educate on Dr. King’s legacy and the importance of social justice work today.
The article on Parents.com states “Our experts agree: children can comprehend conversations about civil rights. As parents, we might have a desire to protect kids from uncomfortable conversations, especially those about people doing things we might wish hadn’t happened.” Education today is the first step towards creating a more inclusive tomorrow.
One of our favorite parts of the article references Dr. Matt Albert who believes “children can learn two most important lessons from Dr. King. Young people have the power to make a change, and racism is alive and well, specifically in ways that are much harder to see.”
The article also provides a number of video and book resources to help educate your family more about racial justice and Dr. Martin Luther King. We love seeing ways to share Dr. King’s message with the next generation. Let’s all work together to make West Windsor part of the “Beloved Community” that Dr. King worked so hard to achieve.