.png)
Happy New Year Beeloo Family! We hope your holiday festivities were merry and restful. As we are all starting to go back to work and school, you may have glanced at your calendar and noticed an upcoming federal holiday: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. More than just another three-day weekend, MLK Day is an opportunity for us to pause, remember, and honor one of the most prominent leaders of our country’s civil rights movement. In December of 1955, Dr. King led the Bus Boycott in Montgomery, Alabama which would last a total of 382 days and result in the Supreme Court determination that laws requiring segregation on buses were unconstitutional. In the 11-year period following the Bus Boycott, Dr. King traveled over six million miles, delivered over twenty-five hundred speeches, and wrote five books advocating for action against injustice. In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population. Dr. King was assassinated in 1968 and President Regan signed the holiday into law in 1983 to honor Dr. King and his contributions to our nation. However, it wasn’t until 2000 that all 50 states officially started observing the holiday, which falls on the third Monday in January, near Dr. King’s birthday of January 15th. This year, when MLK day comes around, we encourage you to share the story of Martin Luther King Jr. with your kids and family members. Here are some great resources to get you started:
1. If you and your kids would like to learn more about Dr. King’s life and his work, check out this video from Homeschool Pop.
2. If you’d like to take a trip to your local library, you’ll find a ton of books about Dr. King. Some of our favorites are “A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech that Inspired a Nation,” and “Martin Luther King Jr. – Little People, Big Dreams.”
3. If music is your thing, check out these 10 songs about Martin Luther King Jr.
4. If you’d like to watch Dr. King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, you can view it here.
5. If you’re local to Memphis, TN, or happen to be passing through, check out the Civil Rights Museum located in the Lorraine Motel, the site of Dr. King’s assassination.
6. Lastly, feel free to check out our collection of curated activities in honor of MLK day.
We honor Dr. King this coming holiday, and every day, for his dedication, service, and sacrifice. The mark he left on our world will never be forgotten.
