Uniondale Schools

Lawrence Road learns about MLK’s legacy

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Lawrence Road Middle School engaged students in a new observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, as a way to focus on the relevance of the civil rights leader’s legacy in today’s world. This lesson featured a video message from Yolanda Renee King, King’s 13-year-old granddaughter, to help students connect with his message of justice, equality and advocacy.

Adeola Tella-Williams, the school’s dean of students and academic services, explained that the goal of the new lesson was to go beyond the traditional assembly.

“We usually do an assembly, but we decided to do something a little different this year, where we wanted the students to really connect with King,” Tella-Williams said. “Not just in an assembly, but also in an intimate fashion in their classroom.”

As part of the day’s activities, on the Friday before the holiday, students in all three grades watched the video, in which Yolanda Renee King discusses issues such as voting rights and gun violence — topics that have deeply impacted her family, most notably with the loss of her grandfather to a gunshot in 1968. The video highlighted how King, despite her youth, has taken it upon herself to carry on her grandfather’s legacy of activism.

Clips of King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered in Washington, D.C., in 1963, are also shown in the video, connecting with his granddaughter’s present-day sentiments.

“His dream was for his children to live in a nation free of prejudice,” King says in the video. “I am his granddaughter. I, too, share his dream, that every person in this nation will be afforded their constitutional right to vote, and what I know is we have work to do and a ways to go before we see his dream fulfilled.”

After watching the video, teachers engaged students in classroom discussion, and asked them to independently answer this question: “Dr. King fought for voting rights. What would Dr. King fight for today? How can his granddaughter’s message inspire you to continue the fight for important issues?”

In their responses, students mentioned a variety of issues they believe King would stand up for today, including stopping gun violence, ending world hunger, increasing voting equality, ending racism and promoting freedom. They also shared their inspirations, including to fight for what is right and to work to make the world better.

The lesson took place during an extended “advisory” period, a time when students gather for morning “circles” to have attendance taken and to check in with their teachers. During their “advisories,” students often learn about important historical issues, like the civil rights movement and the Holocaust, as well as diverse cultures and their holidays and religious observances, Tella-Williams explained.

Leigh Sumter, Lawrence Road’s assistant principal, said that incorporating Yolanda King’s message in this year’s MLK lesson helped students connect past struggles with present-day issues.

“A lot of times, they don’t make the connection to things that have happened so far in the past,” Sumter said, “and bringing Martin Luther King’s granddaughter into this makes them see that you can have power, even if you’re youthful, even if you’re young — that you can still have a cause and fight for that and advocate for it.”

The tribute to MLK and his granddaughter was part of the school’s broader efforts to enhance students’ understanding of history. According to Tella-Williams, the Uniondale district strives to ensure that students not only learn about the past, but also recognize its relevance in their own lives.

“We want our students to connect with history, and we want our students to stay present,” she said. “Whenever we have the opportunity to pay homage to those who came before us, we try to do that as much as possible, and make sure that our students understand history.”

In previous years, Lawrence Road has honored King with a variety of activities, Sumter said, including skits, musical performances and student presentations of King’s speeches. This year’s focus on his granddaughter offered students a different perspective, and an opportunity to connect directly with the message.

“In the particular interview that we referenced, she was 13 years old, the same age as our students right now,” Tella-Williams said. “The main thing we wanted to do in this activity was to have our students connect with King, but connect with King through his granddaughter, so they know that he’s real and he’s real through her.”

As part of the district’s ongoing commitment to honoring King, the school will also incorporate elements of his legacy into its Black History Month celebrations in February for the first time this year, according to Sumter.