1/19/2009

Happy MLK Day


Each Day last week Alex came home talking about Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. She had so many questions. Was he a good man? Why did someone kill him? What was he trying to do?

It really opened up doors to conversations we hadn't really yet had. About issues that were, this year, are even closer to home. She was very interested in hearing about Rosa Parks and why she was arrested when she didn't do anything wrong. She couldn't understand how people could be treated differently solely based on the color of their skin. She found MLK to be a fascinating individual and even asked if we could visit his old house on our next vacation.

Apparently she and her teacher had also had similar conversations. And at one point she told me how we probably wouldn't have Cullen in our family if it wasn't for Martin Luther King Jr. I said, "you're right baby...you are so very right". So we went on to talk about how not only can whites and blacks share bathrooms, buses and restaurants now....but they can also share a family name.
"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation."
Tomorrow will also mark an important day for our nation. For the first time in America's history we will have a black president.
Happy Birthday Doctor King!

2 comments:

Heather said...

Okay, not really too surprising given that the girls are in the same class, but Em came home and had many of those same questions for me. She started out the week with the statement "Dr. Martin Luther King died for love" and it went on from there.

Definitely a week of opening conversational doors that we hadn't been through before.

I wonder if they're going to get to watch the inauguration tomorrow?

terilynnh2000 said...

I LOVE your statement about sharing buses, etc.... and a family name. That made me pause and smile. Beautiful.