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CHICAGO —
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 17. It's also the 25th anniversary of the holiday and 50 years since the Freedom Rides jump-started the civil rights movement.
Some story ideas you can use to get to the significance of the day:
-- Since Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday 25 years ago this year, Jan. 20, 1986, the day has been known for two activities: commemoration and community service. Provide a calendar of activities and help people find ways that they can be active in their community.
-- Check out your archives from the first national MLK Day observances in 1986 or from spring 1961, when the Freedom Rides were happening, and talk with people from your community who attended them. What is their attitude toward race relations now versus then? Has the country's tolerance improved? Why or why not, and what will it take to do so?
-- Ask students what King's legacy was. What are they taught about him? Is there a gap in his legacy and their understanding?
-- Some communities' MLK Day events are being cancelled for economic reasons. What's the state of your area's celebrations and the organizations that put them on?
-- What significance does the day have in the wake of this weekend's political shootings in Arizona? (Note that MLK Day celebrates Dr. King's birthdate, but he was killed April 4, 1968, by someone who was an admitted racist.
What other angles will you pursue on covering MLK Day? What has worked for you in the past? Let me know, and I will post it on my blog.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Monday, Jan. 17. It's also the 25th anniversary of the holiday and 50 years since the Freedom Rides jump-started the civil rights movement.
Some story ideas you can use to get to the significance of the day:
-- Since Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a federal holiday 25 years ago this year, Jan. 20, 1986, the day has been known for two activities: commemoration and community service. Provide a calendar of activities and help people find ways that they can be active in their community.
-- Check out your archives from the first national MLK Day observances in 1986 or from spring 1961, when the Freedom Rides were happening, and talk with people from your community who attended them. What is their attitude toward race relations now versus then? Has the country's tolerance improved? Why or why not, and what will it take to do so?
-- Ask students what King's legacy was. What are they taught about him? Is there a gap in his legacy and their understanding?
-- Some communities' MLK Day events are being cancelled for economic reasons. What's the state of your area's celebrations and the organizations that put them on?
-- What significance does the day have in the wake of this weekend's political shootings in Arizona? (Note that MLK Day celebrates Dr. King's birthdate, but he was killed April 4, 1968, by someone who was an admitted racist.
What other angles will you pursue on covering MLK Day? What has worked for you in the past? Let me know, and I will post it on my blog.
