"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
A poster of Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders proudly hangs in my classroom every year. I often look to King's life and words for guidance and inspiration--not just on this holiday in which we remember him--but throughout the year, particularly when times are tough, and the going is frustrating.
Up until this year, I have been teaching fourth graders, and my classes have been lovely and amazing pictures of diversity, with recent immigrants from Latin American and Asia, as well as African-American and Anglo students. While some of my U.S. born student know a bit about Dr. King, I have found that nearly all of my students, regardless of their background, have little knowledge of his life and the civil rights movement. I also have found that teaching about King and civil rights involves pulling aside a veil of innocence and showing my students some ugly realities. Their responses, however, are nearly always remarkable, and give me joy in the present and hope for the future.
I don't want this diary to devolve into one of "kids say the darndest things," unless darndest means thoughtful, insightful and inspiring, of course. One of the things I love about my students is the fresh perspective they bring to subjects in which I have thought a great deal about, and tend to be a bit comfortable, perhaps overly so.
When I discuss the history of segregation in the U.S., I try to get my students to think of what it was like to live in such a time, and what it would mean for their daily lives. They look at me with disbelief when I tell them that we wouldn't all be in the same classroom, or even the same school. They always ask why, and find the thought that they wouldn't be sitting next to their friends, learning and playing (and even arguing or getting into trouble) together to be completely absurd, nearly incomprehensible. To them, it makes no sense, and they, of course, are right. When I tell them that they couldn't drink from the same water fountains, or attend the State Fair on the same days, they aren't sure whether I'm telling them the truth. The whys come again, and the veil is pulled further back.
As I try to explain the explain racism and its rammifications to my students, I cannot help but see with renewed eyes the absurdity and senselessness and evil in it as well, (yes evil--I do not use this word lightly) and what we have been deprived of in our country (and many deprived in more severe ways than I have been). Their initial shock often turns to anger, wondering who was responsible. I find that straightforward responses to the questions are best, since their skepticism has been roused. Childrens' senses of fairness are finely tuned from an early age, usually to more mundane things, but it is a profound experience to see their senses of social justice emerge.
It is a this point that I talk about King's life and his non-violent approach to change and social justice. We also discuss how it took not just great leaders, but also thousands of people just like us to work for change, and that the world can be transformed through dedication, hard work, and perserverance. His work and life empowered us all to speak up, to strive and work together, to sit and speak and learn together, and even argue when necessary. In a world in which individuals and leaders of countries choose the path of violence, and perpetrate misery upon others and themselves, we can choose the path of non-violence and love (and I do not use this word lightly either) that MLK, Jr. and others walked before us. In King's words:
Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time; the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Mankind must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
My students embrace of this message might be attributed to their young age and limited experiences. I prefer to see their emerging wisdom and give them the credit they deserve, however. I know that as they get older, they will continue to encounter racism and injustice in their own lives. My hope for them is that they can draw strength and inspiration from Dr. King, and not stay quiet, but respond boldly and truthfully.