Martin
Luther King Jr. Day was always “celebrated” by my school. We had an obligatory all-school
presentation the school day before the holiday highlighting the (problematic) King
master narrative. We celebrated him as a hero, and the sole leader of the Civil
Rights Movement, and recognized all the progress that he and those who marched
with him made. Then, we got the day off of school and seemed to forget it all.
We knew he had a dream and we knew he marched on Washington, but all the
nuances of King’s life were lost on the hundreds of elementary and middle
school students sitting in the auditorium. Throughout high school various
organizations and some of my friends recognized the discrepancies in the ways
that we recognized and celebrated the life of King and then Black History Month
as compared to Halloween (which always got a three hour assembly). After
talking to my peers at Rhodes, they all have similar stories of master
narratives, and ignorance regarding King and his real experience. After doing
some digging online it became clear that by many schools MLK Jr. Day is treated
simply as another holiday, and many neglect the chance that the holiday offers
to talk about current and past race relations in our country. According to an
article found in The Atlantic, many
schools choose to stay open on MLK Jr. day should they need to make up previously
missed days due to weather[1]. In
fact, one Iowa school district was not allowed to close on MLK Jr. day and
observe the holiday based on the state’s Department of Education’s rules[2]. While many
simply few the holiday as a day off of work or school and fail to reflect on
the life and legacy of King, as a federal holiday it should be nationally
enforced and observed, especially throughout schools. Children are cultivated
in the classroom, and by refusing to acknowledge one of the main symbols of the
Civil Rights Movement, schools choose to send the message that that movement
holds no value in their eyes. While that might not be how the school or
district actually feels, by not celebrating and recognizing King, they
subliminally send the message that King is not worth time or recognition.
Certainly King was not the sole proponent of the Civil Rights Movement, however
he does serve as a symbol for the movement. The
Atlantic article by Emily Richmond urges us to, “Consider the
words King wrote for the student newspaper while attending Morehouse
College in 1947: ‘We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence
plus character–that is the goal of true education’”[3]. Character development can
come through both the education of youngsters regarding King’s life, but also
through teaching our youth that the Civil Rights Movement was something to be
respected. Should schools continue to give students the day off, or instead
remain in classes focused on celebrating and learning about the life of King?
[1]
[2]
The idea of MLK day is an interesting predicament. On the one hand, I completely agree that as time goes on and kids leave elementary/high school, MLK day becomes just another way of missing class and getting out of going to school. Most people don't even care to know what holiday it is. I even fall guilty of being more excited for the day off than for the chance to celebrate a powerful turn in history.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, there is a flaw in MLK day in that it just further highlights the pedestal we place MLK on when we consider King's master narrative that is told to every child growing up. While I agree that there is an absolute need for the holiday to be recognized and for people to pause and look at the events that happened during the Civil Rights Movement, I disagree with the concept behind MLK being the sole hero of the movement.
This post makes a vital point. Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is, it isn’t surprising that “MLK Day” is too often forgotten. MLK day is a day that has been taken for granted for so long, that it seems to be just another mark on the calendar. The overstated glossing and sugar coating of racial segregation has aided in this issue. In schools, it is too common to witness students celebrate the life of Dr. King with arts and crafts, and a glimpse of his “I Have a Dream” speech. You bring up a great point, when you discuss the fact that schools are open on MLK day, sometimes in order to catch up on snow days. As I read that, I felt that it was the highest form of disrespect for such a day. Because integration is the “social norm” now, people like to pretend that racism no longer exists. This micro-aggressive racism can be seen on the school boards who refuse to recognize King as a part of the curriculum. I can remember learning that King was the hero that solved the problem of racism. However, in elementary school, I was never taught the struggle of the oppression that preceded his victories, really, until I began to inquire myself. I did my own research, and read history that would teach me things I knew wouldn’t be tainted with sugar coating. My highschool did not do me justice (or any person of color for that matter) when it came to learning about American oppression. It was always a skimmed topic. Today, I am grateful to recognize my own awareness of social justice, and I appreciate you shining light on this issue.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI believe if students are allowed to have a day off, then MLK will have no significant value. Instead, the day should be used to educate the students about Martin Luther King and the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement. Of course, it is impossible to cover everything and can come dangerously close to emphasizing the master narrative of King. I would suggest that a brief history of King should be given to the students, but then focus on racial issues that still persist today that stem from the roots of segregation, forced integration, and slavery. The day could be used to stimulate questions about current race problems, and make students critically think about these questions. Students need to know that while we have made progress since King, we are still a long ways from equality.
ReplyDelete