Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a national holiday dedicated to remembering the life and legacy of a civil rights icon. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the progress America has made in creating racial equality, as well as the continued effort to fight for peace and justice. The day also encourages people to participate in events, marches, and rallies to show their commitment to the cause.
The Boys and Girls Club of the Heartland participated in a new way, combining learning, remembrance and youth journalism. Three junior high and high school club members sat down with Boys and Girls Club President Raymond Webb to talk about his views on MLK Day, King himself and his legacy.
“The cool thing about this is when we talk to the youth...they’re actually involved, they’re interested in that and they’re asking questions,” Webb said.
Student reporters Jayden Williams, Caleb Cassie and Crystal McGee took turns asking Webb questions about MLK Day. For example, what would King be proud to see in America today?
“I think he’d be most proud of how people come together and how natural it is to go to school together, eat together, live together, and how we get along,” Webb told Williams.
Cassie asked Webb if he felt that King’s religious beliefs factored into his decision-making, to which Webb responded, “Yes, I think you have to have faith. To get milkshakes poured on your head, to get arrested, things like that, you have got to have faith.”
McGee asked Webb what else he believed could have accomplished had he not been assassinated.
“He was going to start a Poor People’s Campaign. I think that would’ve helped us out tremendously. He didn’t care what color you were, poor people were poor people, and I think that was his next move,” Webb explained.
All three students felt their foray into journalism gave them a better understanding of the Civil Rights movement. Cassie, for instance, gained new insight into how much King accomplished before his assassination.
“King changed a lot in the timeframe that he was trying to make a change,” he said.
Williams summed up King’s legacy as helping “Black and white people come together.”
For his part, Webb was thrilled to take part in the project and keep King’s long legacy going.
“I think sometimes when we talk about legacy, some peoples’ legacies are forgotten. The way you remember is, you talk about it,” said Webb. “Like I was talking about how normal it is for us to be coexisting — in his time, it wasn’t normal, and he was willing to risk everything.”
Assistant editor Samantha Tucker contributed to this article.