On Monday, I saw something beautiful. I witnessed a classroom of racially diverse grade 4 students virtually learn about Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership in the American civil rights movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement in Canada and the U.S.A. In broken French (its a late French immersion class), they brainstormed about the importance of equality for Black lives and how they can contribute to Canada's civil rights movement.
Words like solidarité (solidarity), soutien (support), égalité des droits (equal rights), respect (respect), and le droit à la sécurité (the right to safety) were shared. "Nous devons tous être des défenseurs des droits civils", said one girl. She is right. It is that simple. We all need to be defenders of civil rights in everything we do and in everything we say.
On the eve of Trump's transition from Office, I hope that we can all draw strength from one of humanity's greatest leaders: Martin Luther King Jr.. His words remind us that we can do better. We must do better. And it must be done together.
For more learning, see: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/02/martin-luther-king-hungry-club-forum/552533/
Katie Black