King’s Radicalizing Journey: The King They Don’t Teach You About In School
On January 18th, we celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy with an assembly led by Integrate NYC. Integrate NYC is a youth-led organization that stands for equity and justice in NYC schools. They develop youth leaders who repair the harms of segregation and build authentic integration and equity.
It was clear that everyone learned something new about Dr. King and about his worldview beyond civil rights. Fellows reflected on the past that they were learning about, and made connections to the present, and imagined their futures.
Dr. Oyè Carr, Senior Director of Middle School Academy, shared:
“Today’s assembly was intended to inform and educate you about parts of Dr. King’s legacy that are too often ignored or neglected. But to what purpose? In 1947, while a student at Morehouse College, Dr. King wrote:
‘Education must also train one for quick, resolute and effective thinking. To think incisively and to think for one’s self is very difficult. We are prone to let our mental life become invaded by legions of half-truths, prejudices, and propaganda….The function of education, therefore, is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the [person] gifted with reason, but with no morals.’
Remember, that Dr. King was a radical pacifist who asked us to master our passions in order to achieve the goal of justice. One cannot act immorally and work for justice. I believe Dr. King would tell you this if he was with us today. Once again, I am very proud of you all. Happy MLK Day!”
Thank you to Integrate NYC for an inspiring presentation! Learn more about Integrate NYC’s work here.
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