It’s fitting around this time of year to reflect on MLK’s life and work. One question that we often ask is whether or not his dream has been realized. Have we come far enough? Have the barriers to racial equality been torn down sufficiently enough? If King was alive today (he would be 82-years-old this year), would he be satisfied with the progress that has been made? Has King’s dream been realized?
Is it important that we set aside a day to remember the work of Dr. King? What is the best way to commemorate his life? As students, as a school, should we be doing something to remember King and educate the youth of today about his impact on our nation's history?
What do you think? Avoid simple answers. Give me real thought. Read the comments of those posting before you. Come back after you post, and continue to keep up with additional posts until the deadline. I want a real conversation. Invite your parents to read the blog, and they can even comment. Enjoy!
Note: I'm including King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306
(32-minute film that we watched in class)
The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 from Marc Altshuler - Human Music on Vimeo.
Important: Be sure to check back daily as I will be posing new questions and thoughts in the comments section.
Posts
168 comments:
u mean LeBron James right??? jk
I think Dr.Kings acomplishments were great to society and that we should take a day off on this speacil day but the best way to remember his life would be to just learn more about him and his goal to end racial mistreatment. And we should stop any racist behaviors and prejiduces as well as keep learning about him.
I think its very important to have a holiday for Rev. King. But to having an entire day off or it is a little extreme. Dont get me wrong, King was a great man with greater ideas, and i respect that. But the anti-segragation act would have gone on without him anyway. it might not have happened as quickly, but it would have happened. Its part of human nature to set things right. The kid inside me is screaming to keep the day off and be happy, but every other part of me is shutting him out. how are we sure that we would remember him as well if he lived? it was highly unlikely as other people had plans to assasinate him the next day. If he was still alive today, would we even have a holiday? He would probably disagree with it, as that would make him uneaqual. and to top off my proposal, some states have resumed shcool on monday as a make-up day for a snowstorm. I believe we should simply have a half day, and spend it learning about the man, rather than simply sleeping late, and going to the beach. it would make us remember the day greater.
I think that MLK deserves a holiday. He devoted his life to the civil rights movement. As a student I think schools should have students learn about him the day Martin Luthor King day after to put meaning in the holiday. After all, on Presidents Day, how many people do something to even related to the presidents then?
Good point, Scott H. "...we are all born the same under the skin."
It has been a custom in our country to honor heroes (Memorial Day, Veterans' Day), presidents, (Presidents' Day - We used to take off Washington's and Lincoln's birthdays too. Then they came up with Presidents' Day to cover all bases),and then there is Mother's and Father's Day, Independence Day, Flag Day, Thanksgiving Day. These are all American Days, not religious days. As far as having days off, I am not sure. I can see when traditions are in place, such as feasting on Thanksgiving, fireworks displays on Independence Day, etc. But many "holidays" might be better remembered through education.
I think that we should learn more about MLK on the day after the hoilday because some people dont fully understand what he has done for African-Americans. Referring to what Jacob said we are never aware of what could have been, so we dont know what would have happened without MLK. The aftermath to his actions were so extreme and not many people could have do what he did. If MKL was still alive I belive we would still have a holiday because his actions have impacted the African-American society so greatly that is my opinion it is greatly needed.
P.S.- We have the same birthday(Jan.15) so I feel as if I am going to do great things in for this world. But I refuse to die at 39. I want a LONG life.
As I was saying, no one does something on presidents day. We should learn why days like that are important. Has his dream been reached? I think so. Segragation has been ended and people of all races are treated better. Even though raceism still exists, much of it has been destroyed or at least, is not acted on. MLK would not be content in a world with any raceism in it, but I think that it would be imposible to erase every little tiny bit of bias from peoples minds, but it could be posible to get close. I think we are almost as close to his dream as we can get. Back on the subject of the holiday, Jacob says that If MLK was still alive we would not have a holiday for him. I belive this is true, but I think one of the reasons this holiday exists is the fact that MLK died trying to get equal civil rights for negros. The fact that he continued on dispite death threats made what he did even more extraordinary. In my first(incomplete) post I said students should learn about MLK after the holiday. It is my opinion that MLK deserves a holiday, and that as students learning about him, is one of the best ways to commemorate him and his work.
I think not only should there be a holiday for him but the day after MLK day every one should learn what he has done not just students but teachers, and parents too. Personally I don't think we've come far enough, you can always improve and I think DR. King would want us to work harder at settling the goal he left for us, the goal he wanted to see completed, and most of all if he were alive he would want us all, each and every one of us to finish what he started. The Declaration of Independence states "All men are created equal". Equal means same and actions speak louder than words. It wasn't until Dr. King joined the protesting until equality was starting to make progress to the United States. I think the racial "barriers" have sufficiently been torn down. Sufficient is only the minimum. There is more to be done, even though there is an African-American president there are still men, women and groups of people who don't like that and would want to see a white person in office. Dr. King would probably be satisfied but not finished, he would say "there is still work to be done to resolve this quarrel". I think we should get the day off because you don't worry about whether there is a quiz in math, did I leave my binder in my locker or is there vocabulary in language arts. You can sit down in your own home and think about what this one man did, how he impacted your future, the longer segregation was "settled" the less it was and is an issue. If the anti-segregation act was settled 10 to 15 years ago it would be more commonly talked about throughout house holds all across America. There would be protesters, violent outbreaks,and overall more laws being broken.
I personally think MLK would be very pleased with how racism has changed since he died. Blacks attend the same schools as whites, drink from the same water fountains, eat at the same restaurants, and a black man is even president. That's exactly what Martin Luther King wanted, equality. With this I can also say I think MLK's dream has been realized by the people, "little black boys and black girls have joined hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers." It is easy to say that without MLK's contribution blacks and whites might not be holding hands as the King had dreamed about. Because of the success MLK had, I certainly think a holiday dedicated to him is resonable. Although, I think people should know what they're celebrating so people should do at least one ML King related thing on his day of remembrance.
I think MLK was one of the most memorable people the people of the United States should know. If he saw how our country is like now he would be very pleased. If you ask me he is the one that changed the way people live today.
I think Dr. Martian Luther King Jr. should have a holiday because he did a lot of right things for standing up to slavery. We learn about MLK every year in school, but the are parents grew up in a time or racism. If our parents and other adults learned I think we would have even less racism in this country. In the Declaration of Independence says that "All men are created equal". Back then men were not treated equally they went against an important document. If MLK was still alive today he would be proud of the things he did to fight against racism.
unfortunately, Sam, i don't think that he would. racism is not gone, not by a long shot. just look at all the controversy lately about the black panthers. I think he would be disgusted that racism has increased to the point where even those fighting for balance have simply flipped the racism, now its going between whites, blacks, Asian, Hispanics, boys, girls, you name it, prejudice is alive and well, despite MLK's best efforts. But perhaps his message will take full effect someday. in the grand scheme of things, it has not been that long since his death, less than half a century ago. so maybe this is only because it is darkest before the dawn. perhaps prejudice is nearly at its end, but only time will tell for sure.
I believe that Kings dream has been realized and that he would be satisfied with our progress today. I believe that he should be remembered in our schools and that his message should be know by everyone.
@ Dax
time isnt the only thing that can help this issue. Many people are still racists and are trying to sread thier ideas throughout everywhere. sure, after a while all problems will be solved, but if you think like that, then in, i dont know, say 2056, all people will be a mix between Black and white. I bet MLK would love that. then there would be nothing to fight over. what we need is another MLK.
Agreed however I must argue that in terms of being prejudice, that has always been around and probably will forever. However I think MLK brought the level of racism down to only a pea in the pod. As human we are going to complain and we will until the end of time. But the amount of lives King touched and changed is more than I've ever been able to fathom. (But that might just be my math skills)
Jacob, I don't completely agree with that very last sentence because earlier in your post you said that there are still racist people out there and I think that if we had another Dr. King, those racists would come out and start riots (maybe not as intense as back then). I think Dr. King would be satisfied with our progress but he wouldn't be completely satisfied because there are still racist people out there.
David, im afraid i must contradict your choice of contradicting jacob's comment. if Dr. King were here today, his influence would continue to rise until he died as he truly did that fateful day not so long ago. i think that all in all having the whole day off, as long as we honor him doing it, is a fine way to remember him.
In continuation of what I said earlier, I believethat we should not have a holiday becaue, like Mr. Veliz said, almost no one ses it for the intended pourposes. So, yes I believe his message should be tought but he should not have a holiday forthat sole pourpose.
@ Dax
Sure there is still racism alive and well in the modern world but that doesn't mean his influence hasn't taken effect. Just look at the bathrooms today, you don't see a colored sign anymore and look at Swift Creek Middle School, almost a majority of the students are a minority. We have a completely integrated school and the faculty does there level best to enforce anti-racism. By no stretch of the imagination has his dream realized. By that as it may, his dream has not yet become a reality, but again, by no means is his dream still just a dream.
Your missing the point david. what i said. your taking it as if I said we need constant reminders to be equal, and someone to punish those who are prjudice. this is the opisite of who we need. what im saying, is we need someone to be there when things DO get out of hand. just solving disputes with a gentle touch. not an iorn fist. you said it yourself, there are still racists around. MLK2 would try as hard as he could to get them on our side. whos side are you on?
My mistake I said "..by no stretch of the imagination has his dream been realized." I meant to say "..by no stretch of the imagination has his dream been forgotten."
To what Chase is saying...
Because you belive that we should not have a holiday to celebrate MLK all the other holidays would have to be taken out. Presidents Day and Flag Day and other holidays that we dont really think of having to celebrate it. You agree?
I think that Martin Luther King Jr. made a great acomplishment with his speaches and peace walks. I think if he were alive today he would be very satisfied with the progress he made. blacks have just as much right as whites do.im glad we take off one day of school to remember Dr. King one NO SCHOOL and two to respect Martin Luther King Jr. for all that he has done for us. i think we should do something special for him to hounor him like put a flag with his face on it and hang it up in the class room somewhere
Mr. Veliz why do you think god made the blacks were the ones who were treaty poorly? why not the whites?
I agree with Asentwaa's comment (sorry if i spelled your name rong) if you take out Martin Luther King day as a holiday you would have to take all of the other holidasy that nobody really celebrates
Or cares about
I agree with Betty and Asantewaa about MLK's holiday. If there wasn't a MLK day, then it would feel like he wasn't important at all and he would be forgotten and no one would ever realize how great he was and his what he tried to do to help the world. I also think that racism has changed a lot since MLK died. It had minimized and I personally think MLK would be very proud of the improvements of anti-racism.
But if it wern't for the people supporting him none of this could be possible.
@Dax, I think MLK would overall be pleased to see how far we've come. I don't at all think black and white racism has increased since his time (although others have gay, special need etc...). I don't think MLK would be disgusted with how black racism is today.
I agree with Scott, but I don't think MLK would be very happy with our world. There is still the KKK, an organization devoted to racism. I think it is good that we set aside a day from everything to celebrate him, but like Mr. Veliz said in class, "some people don't think of it as celebrating him, just as a day off from work or school. He changed America for the better, and everyone should honor that. Blacks lived in poverty and oppression, whites lived believing they were high and mighty over other races. MLK showed the country that "we are all men." If "all men were created equal", then why was there still racism.
Good job so far. Keep it up.
Jacob - Never considered how King himself would feel about his holiday. Great thought-provoking point.
Aaron P - As tragic as his early death was, the fact that he died doing his important work leaves an example for us all. How many of us are that committed to are work.
Sean - Great comment.
Jacob, Dax, David, etc. - Good conversation. This is the kind of thing that helps us develop our ideas and consider others.
Emily (Betty) - Nearly every group has, at some point, been the target of racist or discriminatory policies and behavior. In this country, the most obvious group that has been targeted has been blacks. However, you can find many examples of bias against groups like Native Americans, Hispanics, etc.
Keep it up!!
on practically everyones comment
if noone celebrates any of the onther holidays, then why do we have them off? why cant leon county just take the names of labor day, presedents day ect. and rename them all teacher-planing days? MLK is one of the most important ones, standing right next to Veterens Day. if you went around asking kids on MLK day, who MLK was, some would have no idea. what purpose does having a holiday serve for, if the only way you celebrate it is by missing school?
Aidan- after reading your post I agree that MLK would probally not be happy with how thimgs are today, but I think that know his dream is a reachable point. Jacob, I agree with you in the fact that a second MLK would be what we need to end raceism in this country. Also, Jacob, we should have a holiday for MLK. What he did was great and we should celibrate it. He worked hard to achive equallity for blacks and whites and that is something we need to learn about and celibrate. To your newest comment - we only celibrate them by not going to school because at school people never learn learn enough about them to understad what they are for and not just be happy they have a day off.
aron and aidan i disagree im sure he would be very pleased with the progress he made i mean whites are no longer treated as the dominate race we are all treated eqally and thats what MLK wanted and if he were alive today i know he would be happy with his progress
I agree with Jacob that taking the whole day seems kind of unneccesary, but I'm not arguing with the day off. And if we're giving days off for him, why not for other civil rights leaders, just to be fair.
To what Betty said....
I have always wondered why the whites all always felt like they were on top of the world and always and still continue to put down minorities?
Trevor M. said...
I agree with Jake. Although, I love sleeping in and not having school, I think it would be better if we spent the day learning about the accomplishments of MLK and others like him who pushed for civil rights and equality. Although there are always going to be some racists, I think we have come a long way.
i disagree with you trevor we should take a day off for MLK to respect all that hes done for us like stoping most racism and stuff
so if we didnt take a day off for him i think it would be kinda disrespectful
I agree with Betty. I think that we should have a day off. Some people like to celebrate his holiday with having the day off. If we didn't have that holiday off,then the people might get fired from missing work. But, with the holiday off, they won't get fired for enjoying all the wonderful things that Dr. Martin Luther King has done for us people.
Well as many people have mentioned already the issue of racism is still not fixed and there is huge amounts of racism out there I've both experienced it done toward me and seen it. But Dr.Kings accomplishments are enormous there is much more attempt to stop racism. Now I don't see any segregated water fountains in Swift Creek. I think without him segregation could have stayed for at least 50 extra years. It's not just that he protested but the way he did it. He was non violent which showed he was not just an animal but an intelligent human being and showed how the whites were acting like arrogant monster. Personally I believe that racism will never completely go away. But he did the best humanly possible job. And we should take a day off but when we get back to school learn why we did.
Irfan, that's a great point. If Dr. King hadn't come around, who knows, the world could still be segregated. I completely agree with your very first comment Jacob in that we shouldn't take a day off just to relax and not have to worry about homework. We should either take the day off and remeber why we are out of school and not just sleep in or be in school and do stuff to remember him.
irfan that could have been my family acting like an arrogant monster thank you very much c):
david i agree and disagree i agree because we should take the day off to remember why were doing it and disagree because i like sleeping in and not having to go to mr. velizs class
jk mr. veliz:)
Daniel R
when u said why take the day off for him and not other civil rights leaders I believe thats because MLK caused some of the most change if not the most change in the right direction out of the other civil rights leaders. It took a lot of bravery to do what he did and he knew the whole time that the lives of him and everyone on his side were at stake.
We could better show our honor of and respect for Dr. King by being the kind of people who don't judge others by the color of their skin or treat others unfairly because of their religious beliefs or where they were born. I think Dr. King would be pleased with how we treat others but he would still be telling us there is room to be better. I agree there are still some places in this country where discrimination and prejudice are still very strong. Today we see not only racial prejudice but prejudice against people because they weren't born in this country or discrimination against people because of their lifestyle. I think Martin Luther King would have been just as bothered by this kind of discrimination.
no called my family that and for all you know they could have been against racism not all whites were racist at that time belive it or not so for all you know my could have been trying to stop it too
i agree with you andrew he might have been alittle disapionted with the racism that still goes on but pretty satisfied with the progress he made
I take a little bit of offense at some of the prior posts. I guess I am one of those arrogant monsters because I am white. However, I don't think I am a bigot or racist. When we lump one culture or race or religion into one group like this, we are doing exactly what Dr. King didn't want us to do. We are labeling people based on the color of their skin. Yes, there will always be those out there who judge others because they are different than them and this is wrong. We are all created equal not only by the Constitution of this great country but also by a God who loves us all equally.
hey i was just looking at the other posts from other classes and they were talkin about how MLK is still alive in spirit and communities
why do you think hes still alive in communities????
Betty I never said that all whites were racist yeah it's possible your family was against racism
and Andrew I agree with u 100%
Dr. King did try really hard to fix racism and I think he almost fixed it as much as he could do. So congrats to him.
I have no idea why anyone would say why he is still alive in communities can someone explain???
i love your comment andrews mom i completly agree with you god created us equally and we shouldnt treat eachother any less then we treat ourselfs
1. that was andrews mom
2. i think they ment that people belive he watching over us to make sure we dont do anything to repeat what happened but it could mean something else too.
For anyone who was offended by one of my posts I meant no offense I was referring to the people who were racist at that period in history. When I called them arrogant monsters.
(apologizing to Betty and Andrew mom)
please read before judging me
sam
i agree but if he were alive today i bet there would be alot less racism
thank you Irfan
do you think MLK would be alittle frustrated because after all he went through alot of people are still really racist
Knowing most students some would think that what MLK did really effected them(This is kind of off topic but I am curious). Of course I think about what he did for African Americans all the time but not everyone sees it that way. How do we get people to understand that it effected everyone.
Betty
Even though there is still racism I think MLK would still be fairly happy that things are better now then before.
really srry bout offending comments
well some people are just hard-headed (like my sister) but unfortuatlly some people cant be convinced they dont think and verver will that they effected them in any way and that could be true for some people
irfan
its cool
but dont you think he would still be alittle disapionted that some people are still racist against black i mean whats rong with them there the same as we are
hey mr veliz were you ever racist to blacks, indians ect.??
Well people need to understand that MLK effects everyone for instance without him its possible whites, blacks and Hispanics could not be friends for example I have an Asian friend who goes to Deer Lake who says at the Lunch Room (they always have free seating) Its always like this Asians at one table, Blacks at another, and Hispanics at another. Not purposely segregated but its still like that. Without MLK the hole world could be like that.
still srry bout any offensive comments
(they have free seating lucky!)
well maby it is purposly becuase i have a cusin that goes to deer lake and she never said anything about that so maby that just think they should all sit together
irfan stop saying sorry its kinda annoying
Hey Betty
are we the only people on cause no one else is saying anything
Someone comment!!!!
omg ikr!!!! imma call someone and tell them to post something like asentewaa or priyam
Yea get Priyam on
you know how roasa parks wouldnt give up her seat on the bus
my parents took mt phone i cant call or txt anyone:(
why u texting in class again ?? JK
yeah I know what Rosa Parks did
why u texting in class again ?? JK
yeah I know what Rosa Parks did
oops I sent that 2wice
no i was not i got a really big test to study for and do you think one of the resons she didnt give up her seat is beacuase she thought if she gave up her seat it would give the satifaction to the whites thats why she didnt do it
I believe that could of been one of the reasons. But I think it was mainly that after them pushing her around all her life she got tired of it.
what big test u got to study for???
if i were her i would have ;et them carry me off that bus
mr hannas science test 150 points!!! gotta do good
thats a big test I better study
no duh!
didnt MLK skip like 3 grades!?!?
beacause he bet his sister he could get into collage the same year she did??
How am I supposed to know how many grades he skipped ???? but to do that he must have been crazy smart
wait now that u mention it I do remember the bet with his sister
yea he must have had albert einstiens brain!
but idk what else we can say about him or ask about him we covered alot what do you think have anything else to say
Wasup Betty
I really don't think there is to much left to talk bout at least today
cause the classes pretty much covered everything
what about his dream how did it all start?? and was it because something that happened to him that he finally took a stand for himself and all the other blacks in the world
try to awnser thoose
and see if it will give us somthing to talk about
maby it was something that happened in his early 20's maby ha saw a family member get beat by whites or get killed by the whites or maby he decided he was done getting puched around
I remember one time in a video I watched about him. his best friend was white and the friends parents did not allow them to hang out anymore and also he was not allowed to play baseball when the white kids were playing. I guess he just felt that he was being treated differently cause I don't remember his family getting beaten.
hello anyone there
Betty u there??
because i know if someone beat or killed one of my family mebers i would take a stand or i go crazy and kick there butt!! but if that happened to me i would totally take a stand and try to help end it so noone else would have to go through it
yea i mean whats rong with blacks and whites being friends if he lived in todays world when he was a kid i bet he would be alot happier
Of course u would
but I probably would go crazy and hunt down and murder whoever would do that to my family to.
No way I would have his kind of self control and be nonviolent
wow doing would be to obvious i would hire someone to do it duh
im not stuoid enough to do it myself
so u calling me stupid cause I would do it myself If I was to do something like that
no your smart im just saying your most likley to get caught if you do it yourself
wait change the subject how did his dream start???
someone post!!!
Betty how on earth do u except someone to post if were the only people on. I have no idea how his dream started
But please someone comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
mr. veliz give us something else to post about
lets just think of something MLK related to talk about
Wow your comments totally went down the drain, but killing someone for the fact that they hurt someone in your family, or a friend is stupid. That would just end up causing more conflict. Can you imagine what would have happened if Dr. King had done that??? We might not have celebrated his life.
we could look at other classes post see wat they put se if we can start a conversation about that
Theres a Caitlin in our class????
But u are right if he did it violently they would have thought of him as just an animal instead of an intelligent human being.
i never said that you called me stupid i said that the fact that you said you would kill someone for that reason was stupid
and thats how he got through to them thats how they took him seriousy
and sorry if i affended you:(
who on earth is Caitlin???
and look Im dying of boredom
woah i didnt relize catlin was in this conversation i thought that was irfan
can someone say something worth talking about
shes not in our fiest period
good I thought I was really not paying attention or going crazy
No im from 3rd Period i felt like reading your comments after mr veliz told us about yer blog, plz comment on ours it suckssss no one is talking about anything i feel helpless trying to comment on it day after day
idk but catlin isnt in first period shes in second or third
o yea ours rock but we talked about everything and thers nothing to talk about
wait i thought we wers supposed to be talking about MLK
if anybodys crazy its ben he keeps sticking pencils in the roof kinda funny but it gets him in trouble
yeah but we talked so much what else can we talk about
oh yeah your in my Pell class that period its hilarious
omg ikr how bout we talk about my kinda party
oh sorry im listenin to my kinda party by jason aldean
are we aloud to talk about stuff not related to MLK
he probablly dont want us to lets just thimk of something MLK related to talk about
what do you think we should talk about
I have no idea
um....what about his speech
Look Im dying of boredom so Im gonna go now so see ya at school
i mean just think how many people he inspired with his speaches i think that also helped stop alot of racism his speeches inspired people to make a differnce
no im soooo bored stay im gonna be even more bored
bye everybody
Irfan out
hey anyone there cause Irfan's back
yea but ik wat we can talk about
his speech
seriously there is nothing to talk about why are u even still here
About his speech
he was a great speaker with an important message thats all I got
Well Im leaving for real this time so bye
i mean he inspired so many people with his his speech i bet alot of his speechs helped him stop racism and inspired people to go against racism i bet even some whites went against once they heard one of his speeches
you there??
I'm enjoying following the young folks' conversation. There are many thoughtful points and a very polite tone, despite the sometimes questionable grammar. (Yes, I'm looking at you, son.) But my question is for Mr. Veliz. You state that racism still exists, "in some areas of the country more than others." Historically, segregation existed in the south. But what evidence do you have of a geographical division of racism today? Although I don't have evidence at hand to support it, I would contend that the south, as much as "the south" can be unilaterally defined, is more successfully integrated today than many northern cities. Don't you agree that racism is an individual choice, not a collective conscience?
Mrs. Lisa
I know you asked Mr.Veliz this question, but I just had something to say.
We as human take into mind what people do and say. Some people are not sure how to think for themselves therefore they listen to other people's opinion.When they really sit down and think about it they do not agree. Since that the opinion of minorites has gone thought the U.S. In my opinion.
y'know, im begining to feel like this entire conversation has gone from MLKs accomplisments, to whether racism is still alive. did this happen on purpose?
I think some people dont care i think they look at MLK and say "oh he stoped alot of racism, i dont care" they think its just good for blacks.
@ Aidan I think you are right to say if MLK was still alive today he would try to put a stop to racism against other races beside blacks. But don't you think MLK would be happy with the progress the world has made with segregation against blacks if he could see it today?
I agree with Chase, his message not only schould be known to his generation, but to this, and the next generation.
reagan
i think he would be proud but still alittle dissapointed that after all of his hard work some people are still really racist
As I have said before his message was a great one but personally I do not think the issue of Racism will be 100% fixed. Since I was little I can tell that there are a lot of racist people out there but he did the best humanly possible job in spreading his message. What I'm surprised that no one mentioned about was that the way he did it was the best way possible which was non violently. Showing that he was not just an animal. He showed them that he was just as intelligent as them. If not more then them by using nonviolence. People should not forget this.
irfan
i agree if it wernt for his nonviolent campains and speeches he wouldnt have gotten through to them to show them he was not an animal
do you think if he did it vilently he still might have suceeded in ending slavery????
Since some of these comments have been going down the drain, I will have to get at least one going again. If you look at school, you don't see any signs saying you cannot go into someones classroom because they are colored. I think Martin Luther King would be very pleased with what he has done. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't be without alot of racism. It would be like what it was for him still today. He did a great deed and barley anyone realizes it. I personally think people should realize what he has done and respect him by not being racist.
I wonder if it is possible for the world to be completely racism-free. Even if racism is removed, some new person will be born and find a new dumb reason to be racist and start the process of spreading hatred all over again.
I know we have over 150 comments but have we run out of stuff to talk about? A bunch of these comments are just plain random or about the science test or irfans comment.
I agree with Kyle that I think its impossible for racism to go Away 100% but I am going repeat myself again for like the 10th time that he did the best job possible and a big part was because he did it NONVIOLENTLY . Showing that he was an intelligent human being not an animal. More people need to mention this so lets talk about what would happen if he was violently protesting instead of nonviolently. Lets debate whether segregation would take longer or shorter to go away.
I think racism would take even longer to go away because he would have seemed like the animal they wanted to think he was. Instead of the intelligent human being he really was.
i dont think would start racism over again beacause alot of people would probably not agree that blacks are the weeker race they would probablly protest against the racism that the one persone would try to start
Betty
People are still racist yes, but its an unreasonable dream to to rid everyone of racist thoughts. I think MLK would be more proud than disappointed
I appreciate the hearty debate, let's just make sure all of our comments remain meaningful.
Mrs. Lisa - Thanks for coming on to participate. My comment is based primarily on personal observation and purely anecdotal. I would agree that there are probably significant pockets of racism within every geographic region of the United States. I agree do that racism is an individual choice. However, individual choices are influenced by one's surroundings, by the culture of the community or family in which they're raised. Thanks again for commenting. I love when parents get involved in our discussions.
Andrew's Mom - Thanks for your important comment. This is one of the most important functions of our blogging sessions. Thoughtful commenting (always a goal) requires thinking before we speak (or type). Thanks for jumping on that teachable moment.
Keep up that great work. A little over 24 hours left.
I kind of agree with Mr. Veliz. I think the people you are around do influence how you think and act. So if you grow up in a family/community that is racist you are more likely to be racist, but not always. I do think we have come a long ways, especially in the South. I am proud of the progress we have made.
you shouldnt be a follower and be racist just because eveyone else is be a leader and nonracist
Within being racist people judge you on only your color. The stereotype for African-Americans are athletic, rough, in gangs and things like that. But when you really get to know the person they may not be in the category the society puts them in. This is also true for ofther minorities for example asians are always super smart.
I agree with what Asantewaa just said a lot of times people are just judged by there ethnicity and I think the media plays a big part in this for example I am a Muslim and even though very few are terrorists probably a lot less then one percent now a lot of people think I'm going to be a terrorist just because of my religion. First of all the few that are terrorists are not even following the religion correctly. We are not supposed to do that. But the news tends to at the very least exaggerate details and make it seem like Muslims are bad people. Because we are a minority the media would rather make us seem like bad people rather them the majority. They just don't understand and are not open minded enough to get to know us. And now due to the news some parents are even teaching there children racist behaviors for example there was this little kid I knew (one of my little brothers best friends) who though that Muslims are bad people because that's what his father told him. If racism just keeps getting passed down from generation to generation how on earth are we supposed to stop it!!! And the media plays a big part in our perceptions. I'm not saying the news is a bad thing but a I am saying please think before getting some kind of stereotype from it. Not everyone is the same.
well like we have been saying the hole we cant stop racism conpletly but we should try to stop it the best we can in our areas like some kids follow the croud and if everyonr is against racism then most llikely that kid will be too
I think MLK did deserve a holiday. He devoted his whole life just to have equal treating towards everyone. If we did not learn and thrive from this holiday some might just treat this holiday like its nothing. The Kings accomplishments were a great influence on the movement for equal treatment for all americans.
well, betty, your idea is a bright one, but unfortunately a bit misled. it is a sad fact that for now, at least, try as we might, most people simply cannot keep in prejudices. be you tall, short, white, black, boy, girl, or any other thing that can possibly describe you, even the shape of your nose, effects the way that others see you. but for now your vision is the best we can hope for.
I think that Dr.King would be proud of the progress that we made. I belive that he may not have a holiday for him now but probley after his passing. My family belives that Dr.King is a truly amazing man that what he did was phenomenal. He not only gaineg rights for blacks but ended segeration between them. He was a living example of the bible verse "love your neighbor as your self" he wanted the world to be a living example of that and i think that we are doing a pretty good job. By: Shelby Etheridge
Martin Luther King is an important man and he did important thing and we should remember him therfor I think we should have a national holiday honoring him but i think it is wrong how some people just look at it as a day to sleep in and finish homework they put off till then. I believe we should take the day off and remember him and all the great things he did in his short life. Without him standing up and fighting for the rights of African Americans we could of still today sadly had segragation.
Shelby: sorry i blogged so late i've been gone all day today and yesterday
Thank you, Asantewaa and Mr. Veliz, for your responses. I just made that observation because, although I have only lived in the south, I know folks from around the country with various attitudes, both good and bad. But yes, we do gain much of our perspective from those around us.
Regarding the original question, MLK Jr. spoke at FAMU this weekend, and stated that we have made significant progress, although not enough progress. One item he noted was the difference in prison sentences for white collar crime versus petty theft (presuming that whites and blacks commit the different types of crime at different rates). I don't suppose he speaks for his father, but he was echoing what he thought his father's opinion would be if he were alive today.
I would also like to commend the students for bringing up some very interesting points. Yes, Irfan, I do believe that the fact the MLK was non-violent was key to his success. And Betty and Kyle bring up a very interesting question...if we had a "do-over" today, would racism develop again? Unfortunately, I think it would, in one way or another. The various genocides throughout history provide ample evidence.
If there are Racist Extreemists, are there anti-rasist extreemists? it seems posible enough...
I agree with Dax
@ Jacob
I know! even being prejudice is a point that can make people prejudice against you!
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