MLK Jr and The Power of Words

 

MLK Jr and The Power of Words

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a symbol of courage, inspiration and tenacity. His words inspired change and as one of the leaders of the Civil Rights movement, he sought to eliminate Jim Crow laws, systemic racism, racial segregation and discrimination. While his accomplishments and legacy seem undeniable today, it took over 30 years of campaigning to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a reality. President Ronald Reagan signed it into effect in 1983, but it wasn’t until 2000 that all states observed the holiday.

 

How can we honor his legacy? It can serve as inspiration to serve in our own ways: how can we best address the injustices we still see today? Reflecting on his words is also inspiring, whether written or spoken. Some of his written works include:

 

Why We Can’t Wait

The Measure of a Man

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Where Do We Go From Here

Strength to Love

A Testament of Hope

A Call to Conscience

A Time to Break Silence

All Labor Has Dignity

-------

Here are some other great reads about MLK and the Civil Rights Movement:

Young Readers

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport

Sit-In: how four friends stood up by sitting down by Andrea Davis Pinkney

My Brother Martin: a sister remembers by Christine King Farris

My Uncle Martin’s Big Heart by Angela Farris Watkins, Eric Velasquez

Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King by Jean Marzollo, illus. by J. Brian Pinkney

The Youngest Marcher: the story of Audrey Faye Hendricks, a Young Civil Rights Activist by Cynthia Levinson

Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles

 

 Middle School

Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine

I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Walter Dean Myers, Illustrated by Leonard Jenkins

If You Were a Kid During the Civil Rights Movement by Gwendolyn Hooks

Through my eyes by Ruby Bridges

Teens 

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

March (graphic novel series) by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell

And we rise: the Civil Rights Movement in Poems by Erica Martin

The March Against Fear by Ann Bausum

Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights by Rich Wallace and Sandra Neil Wallace

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, Elspeth Leacock

 

Adults

Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement by Barbara Ransby

Autobiography of Malcolm X

Parting the Waters: America in the King Years 1954-1963 by Taylor Branch

 Freedom's Daughters by Lynne Olson

Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of the Civil Rights Revolution by Diane McWhorter

 

Be sure to check out all the MLK events planned in Evansville! From a movie showing, poster display, and labyrinth walk to the drum circle at the Eager Free Public Library today (Jan 16) at 2 pm, we hope you'll join us to gather as a community to reflect on the importance of the day and how we can move toward a more hopeful future.