MLK Learning Guide, January 2023

Shaker Heights Beloved Community

The Life & Teachings of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 2023 a 14-day learning guide for students & families of all ages

"The ultimate measure of individuals is not when they stand in comfort and convenience, but in danger and difficulty."

- Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. Campbellsville University, 2018

Table of Contents

Martin Luther King, Jr. Coretta Scott King Otis Moss, Jr. Montgomery Bus Boycott Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Children’s Crusade Letter From a Birmingham Jail The March on Washington Civil Rights Act Nobel Peace Prize Selma & the Voting Rights Act Dr. King's Visit to Shaker Heights The Poor People’s Campaign It Starts With Me

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Special thanks to the many volunteers who contributed to this two week focus on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. including but not limited to: Student Group on Race Relations (SGORR), Shaker Schools Foundation, Family And Community Engagement Center (FACE), Shaker Heights Public Library, Shaker Heights Schools faculty and staff, Shaker Arts Council, and the Shaker Heights Parent Teacher Organization (PTO).

Calendar of Events Join us in a city-wide celebration in honor of

Dr. King’s Vision of the Beloved Community Dec 1 - Dec 22, 2022 Writing contest for 3rd - 8th grade students Creating a beloved community starts with you!

Write a poem or short essay telling us what you could do to help make Dr. King's dream of a Beloved Community come true.

Thursday, January 12, 2023 6:30 p.m. at the High School Auditorium A public reflection/talk on Dr. King’s legacy presented by Cleveland Civil Rights icon and close associate of Dr. King, the Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr.

Sunday, January 15, 2023 3 - 5 p.m. at the Stephanie Tubb Jones Building Participate in a facilitated dialogue on our theme: “Dr. King’s Beloved Community: Opportunities and Challenges for Shaker Heights Moving Forward Together”

Monday, January 16, 2023 Noon- 2 at the Middle School Help support local nonprofit organizations and drop off items in need at a drive-through donation drive

MLK Day: January 16, 2023 Donations Drive between 12-2 p.m.

Shaker Heights Middle School Below are suggestions for items most in need at Bellefaire; Family Promise; Fostering Hope; New City Cleveland; Greater Cleveland Foodbank: Non-perishable Food Toiletries: Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, body wash/soap, washcloth, hand wipes Baby Supplies: unopened diapers, baby wipes, infant towel & washcloth, Tylenol, Motrin, Menstrual Items: tampons, pads, panty liners Fleece Blankets Snacks: granola bars, small bottled waters, fruit snacks Journaling Items: notebooks, coloring books Cleaning Supplies Outdoor Children's Toys

Martin Luther King, Jr Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born Michael Luther King, Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929. There he grew up with his three siblings, A.D. King, Donn Clendenon, Christine King Farris, and parents, Reverend Michael King Sr. and Alberta King. When Dr. King was five years old his father visited Germany, and became so passionate about Martin Luther, a German reformer, that he changed his name, and by effect his son’s, to Martin Luther King.

King's father and grandfather, James King, were both pastors at Ebenezer Baptist Church. His family was always involved in the church, but it was not until his senior year of high school that King began pursuing a career in theology and preaching.

Following his high school graduation, at age 15, King studied for a sociology degree from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia an all male Historically Black Colleges & Universities reputable for its liberal arts courses. King was crowned Valedictorian of his class at Morehouse when he graduated in 1948 and went on to attend Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he connected his Christianity to a call for racial reconciliation.

King finished ministry school in 1951 then completed his dissertation on systematic theology at Boston University in April 1955.

Suggested Readings PK-4: I am Martin Luther King, Jr by Brad Meltzer 5-8 grades: M.L.K.: Journey of a King by Tonya Bolden Teens: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Freedom Movement by Lillie Patterson

Online Resources for further study How did Dr. King's upbringing and education influence his passion for civil rights?

5th & Up: Animated Life of MLK ALL: Hero For All: Martin Luther King, Jr. - National Geographics KIDS

I am Martin Luther King Jr

by Brad Meltzer recording

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King was an African American civil rights leader, activist, author, and the wife of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She was born April 27, 1927 in Marion, Alabama to Obadiah Scott, a businessman, and Bernice McMurray Scott, a talented singer. She had three siblings and during her childhood, she was known to use singing and playing the violin as a form of activism. Coretta attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio where she studied music before transferring to the New England Conservatory in Boston. She met her future husband, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., while they were both students in Boston.

Soon, they began to work side by side in the fight for equality and Coretta established her own career as an activist. During her lifetime, she took part in many events such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 and worked to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. She also made way to Ghana to mark their nation's independence in 1957. After her husband's assasination Mrs. King successfully lobbied for his birthday to become a federal holiday. Dr. King is only one of two individuals to be honored with a National holiday in recognition of their birthday. She continually took action to make the world a better place long after Dr. King's departure.

Coretta Scott King passed away from cancer on January 30, 2006. She was laid in state at Georgia's State Capitol, being the first woman and African American with that honor.

Suggested Readings PK-4: Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange 5-8: Coretta Scott King: I Kept on Marching by Kathleen Krull Teens: Coretta: My Life, My Love, My Legacy by Coretta Scott King and Rev Dr. Barbara Reynolds

Online Resources for further study

How did Coretta Scott King's work as an activist influence others during the past and present?

5th & Up: See Her Story - video

by Katie Couric 5t h & Up: American Academy of Achievement Interview with Coretta Scott King

Coretta Scott by Ntozake Shange

Otis Moss, Jr. Rev. Dr. Otis Moss, Jr. has been fighting for social justice issues since the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Moss was born on February 26, 1935 to Magnolia Moss and Otis Moss, Sr. Orphaned at 16 years old, he went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehouse College in 1956, where he befriended Dr. King. Rev. Moss participated in every major struggle during the Civil Rights Movement. He was arrested for sit-ins pushing for desegregation, helped to plan the March on Washington, and marched from Selma to Montgomery for voting rights, just to name a few. He was recognized for these sacrifices by being inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame.

Rev. Moss received his Master of Divinity Degree and a Doctor of Ministry Degree. In 1975, he became the pastor of Olivet Institutional Baptist Church in Cleveland. As the leader of one of the area's most powerful churches for 33 years, he advocated for quality housing, education and medical care. In 1997, Rev. Moss partnered with University Hospitals for the Otis Moss, Jr. University Hospitals Health Center offering high-quality patient care in a spiritually supportive environment with integrated social and economic services.

Rev. Moss has counseled thousands of our neighbors and three presidents, received numerous awards, holds eight honorary degrees, and has preached the gospel around the world.

Shaker Heights is honored to have him be the guest speaker for the 2023 MLK Day Commemoration.

Edwina Moss Edwina Hudson Smith Moss has played a supportive role to many well known Civil Rights leaders including her husband, Otis Moss, Jr., and Martin Luther King, Jr. Edwina's activism first began as the President for the Youth Council of a local NAACP chapter, but it was a student-led rally with Dr. King that steered her towards the contributions she is known for. From 1961-66, Edwina worked as the assistant to Wyatt Tee Walker and Andrew Young, Executive Directors for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) directly under Dr. King’s leadership.

She helped to organize the Civil Rights Movement by working in the background with many other influential women whom she often acknowledges. “Young women, older women, women all over the South were really the major leaders in the Movement. The men got all the credit because they were out front. But the women were really the backbone of the movement.”

Edwina worked with the SCLC until she married Otis Moss, Jr. in a ceremony officiated by their friend, Martin Luther King, Jr. They have three children, Kevin, Daphne (deceased), and Otis, III. They are also the proud grandparents of five grandchildren and two greatgranddaughters.

Maltz Museum Interactive Biography!

Speak with civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Otis Moss Jr., A.I.

Online Resources for further study Reverend Otis and Edwina Moss Share Memories of Martin Luther King Jr.

Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up

By Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney read by Shakerite Leon Bibb

Montgomery Bus Boycott When Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was 26 years old, he led the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) to spearhead a boycott of the city’s municipal bus company. When Rosa Parks was arrested on December 1, 1955 for not giving up her seat to a white man on the bus, the MIA decided to boycott the city's buses because of their segregation in hopes of forcing the companies to change their policy. On January 30, 1956 Dr. King’s home was bombed for his leadership role in the bus boycott. About 90 participants in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, including Dr. King, were indicted under a law against protesting businesses as the bus company went bankrupt due to the boycott. Found guilty, Dr. King immediately appealed the decision. Dr. King’s trial and conviction helped bring national attention to the cause with such leaders as Bayard Rustin, an activist who helped organize the March on Washington movement, supporting the boycott.

On November 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court declared the bus company’s segregation seating policy unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. Dr. King called off the boycott on December 20, 1956, after 381 days, and Rosa Parks—known as the “Mother of the Civil Rights Movement”—would be one of the first to ride the newly desegregated buses.

Suggested Readings PK-4: Pies from Nowhere, How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito 5-8: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks (Young Reader's Edition) by Jeanne Theoharis Teens: Stride toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story by Marting Luther King, Jr. Online Resources for further study

How has the Montgomery Bus Boycott influenced modern-day society?

PK-4: Kids Academy -Animated 5th & Up: The Life of Rosa Parks 5th & Up: What Really Happened Happened ALL: MLK plans Montgomery bus boycott Parental Guidance: Rosa Parks:The NonAccidental Matriarch Parental Guidance: MLK Jr called to action after bomb threat

Pies from Nowhere by Dee Romito read by Shakerite Ms.Billie Morgan

Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is a civil rights organization founded in 1957, as an offshoot of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). At 28 years old, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bayard Rustin, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, and others, founded the SCLC in order to have a regional organization that could better coordinate civil rights protest activities across the South.

From the beginning, the SCLC focused its efforts on citizenship schools and efforts to desegregate individual cities such as Albany, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama along with playing large roles in events like the March on Washington. Dr. King was the president of the newfound association which fought for civil rights through boycotts and other non-violent means. The SCLC also broadened its focus to include issues of economic inequality, starting the Poor People's Campaign in 1967. SCLC not only laid the groundwork for non-violent protest over the past thirty years and is currently being lead by Bernard Lafayette and Charles Steele Jr. and continues to fight for civil rights, focusing on contemporary issues such as police brutality.

Suggested Readings PK-4: Lift As You Climb, the Story of Ella Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell 5-8: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia Teens: Why We Can’t Wait by Martin Luther King, Jr

Online Resources for further study How influential do you think community organizing like the SCLC was in orchestrating the Civil Rights movement?

5th & Up: SCLC 50th Anniversary - video 5th & Up: MLK Talks 'New Phase' Of Civil Rights Struggle

Lift As You Climb, The Story of Ella Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell

The Children's Crusade At age 34, Dr. King and other civil rights leaders planned to desegregate Birmingham, a city known for its discriminatory practices, by using non-violent tactics. SCLC leader James Bevel started to enact plans for a “Children’s Crusade” that he and other leaders believed might help turn the tide in Birmingham.

On May 2, 1963, more than one thousand students, ages ranging from 7-18 years old, skipped classes and gathered at 16th Street Baptist Church to march to downtown Birmingham, Alabama. As they peacefully approached police lines, hundreds were arrested and carried off to jail in paddy wagons and school buses. When hundreds more young people gathered the following day for another march, white commissioner, Bull Connor, directed the local police and fire departments to use force to halt the demonstration. Photos of the children being attacked gained national attention, which forced Birmingham’s officials to finally acknowledge the movement and make a change. The event urged President John F. Kennedy to express support for Federal civil rights legislation and the eventual passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Suggested Readings PK-4: Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson 5-8: We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson Teens:The Young Crusaders: The Untold Story of the Children and Teenagers Who Galvanized the Civil Rights Movement by V.P. Franklin

Online Resources for further study How would you describe the students who marched in the Children's Crusade?

Parental Guidance: The Children's Crusade documentary (for older audiences)

Let the Children March

by Monica Clark-Robinson read by Shakerite Gina Ambercrombie-Winstanley

Letter from a Birmingham Jail On April 12, 1963, when he was 34 years old, Dr. King was arrested for the thirteenth time and sentenced to jail for leading a nonviolent march designated to bring national attention to racism, breaking a state law that banned mass gatherings. While in solitary confinement, he wrote the famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

Dr. King began writing after reading an open letter in the newspaper written by Christian and Jewish leaders who were criticizing both the demonstration and King himself. Initially, the letter was written on the margins and small scraps of the newspaper. Dr. King wrote that people have a moral responsibility to stand up and take action for what they believe in, rather than waiting for the justices to come from the court.

An example he included explains how himself, along with many demonstrators, risk their lives for change while others sit on the sidelines. Dr. King got help from his lawyer, Clarence B. Jones, by asking him to smuggle the letter out of the jail and give it to his wife, Coretta Scott King. Jones then typed the letter, helping it to be widely published on June 12, 1963 during the Birmingham campaign in newspapers such as the New York Post. Dr. King’s letter from a Birmingham jail was even introduced into the congressional records.

Suggested Readings PK-4: The Youngest Marcher by Cynthia Levinson 5-8: The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis Teens: Gospel of Freedom: Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Letter from Birmingham Jail and the Struggle That Changed a Nation by Jonathan Rieder

Online Resources for further study After being arrested for the thirteenth time, why do you think Dr. King decided to keep fighting?

All: Letter From a Birmingham Jail - MLK audio ALL: King's arrest - video

The Youngest Marcher

by Cynthia Levinson

The March on Washington When Dr. King was 34 years old, he helped to organize the March for Jobs and Freedom with A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin.

More commonly known as the March on Washington, this event was a significant civil rights protest that took place on August 28, 1963. Around 250,000 people from all over the country gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to protest for economic justice. The March on Washington was also meant to draw attention to the many challenges that African Americans faced.

One of the most memorable moments of the march was when Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his I Have a Dream oration.

What started off as a speech about the long struggle and injustices facing African Americans turned into an impromptu vision for the future when Mahalia Jackson, a legendary gospel singer performing the lead-in to his speech, shouted, “Tell them about the dream, Martin. The Dream.” For approximately 15 minutes, Dr. King spoke passionately about equality for all stating, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”

Suggested Readings PK-4: We March by Shane Evans 5-8: Martin’s Dream Day by Kitty Kelley Teens: Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington by Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, Michael G. Long

Online Resources for further study

Do you think the country has fulfilled the dream that Dr. King spoke about in his speech? Why or why not?

ALL: I have a Dream speech ALL: Mahalia Jackson video Parental Guidance:March on Washington Reflections and Text References to Police Brutality

We March by Shane Evans Read by Shakerite David Peake

Civil Rights Act The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlaws discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, and national origin.

Originally this legislation was proposed by President John F. Kennedy in 1963 after protests, boycotts, sit-ins, and the Children’s Crusade all of which were led by civil rights activists, including 34-year-old Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and 23-year-old John Lewis. Four days after Lyndon B. Johnson became president, he put pressure on Congress to get the bill passed.

After almost 100 amendments were rejected that tried to weaken the bill, it was passed on July 2nd, 1964. This pivotal legislation was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and accompanied by civil rights leaders. The Civil Rights Act ended legal segregation and started the movement to desegregate schools and other public places. This act was the model for other civil rights laws and has been the foundation for legal decisions protecting the rights of many groups who have been oppressed in the United States.

Suggested Readings PK-4: Memphis, Martin and the Mountain Top, The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan 5-8: The Passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by Xina M. Uhl Teens: Port Chicago 50: Disaster Mutiny and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin

Online Resources for further study Do you think the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was fully effective? In what ways does the Civil Rights Act still get challenged today?

ALL: You Can Be ABCs ALL: President Lyndon B. Johnson Signs Civil Rights Act - video ALL: History of the Civil rights Movement - video

Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America

by Emily Easton read by Shakerite Lisa Vahey

Nobel Peace Prize On December 10, 1964, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Prize for Peace during an awards ceremony in Oslo, Norway. At the age of 35, Dr. King was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. Established in 1897, this award is to be given “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.”

When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. This prestigious award propelled the modern American Civil Rights Movement into global and renowned recognition. After receiving the award, Dr. King stated in his speech, "this Nobel Prize was won by a movement of great people, whose discipline, wise restraint, and majestic courage has led them down a nonviolent course in seeking to establish a reign of justice and a rule of love across this nation of ours."

Suggested Readings PK-4: Alfred Nobel: The Man Behind the Peace Prize (True Stories) by Kathy-jo Wargin 5-8: Greta’s Story: The Schoolgirl Who Went on Strike To Save the Planet by Valentina Camerini Teens: Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?

by Martin Luther Dr. King Jr. (Author), et. al

Online Resources for further study If you were offered the chance to receive a Nobel Peace Prize, what would it be for?

ALL Anyone Can Change the World 5th & Up: Acceptance speech

The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander read by Shakerite Ifeolu Claytor

Selma and the Voting Rights Act In early 1965, a 36 year old Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) made Selma, Alabama, the focus of its efforts to register Black voters in the South. Alabama’s Governor George Wallace, who was a notorious opponent of desegregation, and the local county sheriff led a steadfast opposition to Black voter registration drives; as only 2 percent of Selma’s eligible African American voters had managed to register.

On March 7, 1965 six hundred marchers got as far as the Edmund Pettus Bridge, outside Selma, when they were attacked by state troopers wielding whips, nightsticks and tear gas. The brutal scene was captured on television, enraging many Americans and drawing civil rights and religious leaders of all faiths to Selma in protest. On March 21, 1965 some 2,000 protesters set out on the three-day journey, this time under federal control, protected by the U.S. Army troops and Alabama National Guard forces. “No tide of racism can stop us,” Dr. King proclaimed from the steps of the state capitol building, addressing the nearly 50,000 supporters who met the marchers in Montgomery. This victory in Selma brought widespread attention to voting rights in the south and the eventual creation of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which allowed all U.S. citizens to vote.

Suggested Readings PK-4: Equality’s Call, The Story of Voting Rights in America by Deborah Diesen 5-8: Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Blackmon Lowery Teens: March [trilogy] by John Lewis

Online Resources for further study

How is the Voting Rights Act of 1965 challenged today?

5th & Up: The History of Voting in the US 5th & Up: Rep. John Lewis Reflects on Bloody Sunday - audio PARENTAL GUIDANCE: Selma to Montgomery marches - videos

Equality's Call, the Story of Voting Rights in America by Deborah Diesen read by Shakerite Adrienne Paine

Dr. King's Visit to Shaker Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. made a visit to Shaker Heights, Ohio in 1965, when he was 36 years old. Although Dr. King was invited by Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell and her husband Rev. Dr. Albert M. Pennybacker of Heights Christian Church, he was not permitted to speak in the sanctuary. Instead, some officials used the excuse that the facilities were under construction.

Undaunted, the Reverends arranged for him to speak outside on the side porch of Heights Christian Church on Van Aken Blvd.

Due to threats of violence to members of the congregation and many residents, a police officer spent the night inside the church before the event to help protect the property. While many people did not support Dr. King’s visit, it is estimated that about 1,000 people attended the weekday speech to hear him talk about the Civil Rights mission.

Dr. King’s many visits to the greater Cleveland area were in large part to help Carl Stoke’s political campaigns. Carl Stokes was eventually elected mayor of Cleveland, Ohio in November 1967, thus making him the first African American mayor of a major city. Per Dr. King, “No person has the right to rain on your dreams”.

Suggested Readings PK-4: We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices by Wade Hudson & Cheryl Willis Hudson 5-8: Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson Teens: Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi

Online Resources for further study

How can we continue to fulfill Dr. King's dream in Shaker as we move forward?

ALL: Conversations in Courage: The Visit-video AL L: Video of MLK Visit to Heights Christian Church As Good as Anybody

by Richard Michelson read by Shakerite Lisa Hamilton

The Poor People's Campaign The Poor People's Campaign was established by Dr. King and the SCLC in November 1967 as the next struggle for genuine equality.

While some doubted this ambitious goal for economic freedom, Dr. King believed it was “the beginning of a new co-operation, understanding, and a determination by poor people of all colors and backgrounds to assert and win their right to a decent life and respect for their culture and dignity” (SCLC, 15 March 1968). They began to organize the Poor People's March on Washington to help bring attention to economic justice for poor people in the U.S. Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 and did not make it to the Poor People’s March on Washington, but Coretta Scott King and thousands of other women began demonstrations on Mother’s Day, May 12, 1968. A temporary settlement was established on the Mall in Washington, D.C. where approximately 3000 protestors stayed between May 14- June 24, 1968. They organized a set of demands for Congress for free surplus food distribution to 200 counties and promises from federal agencies to hire poor people, but lead organizer and Baptist minister, Ralph Abernathy, was not satisfied with these concessions.

Suggested Readings PK-4: Beautiful Moon by Tonya Bolden 5-8: Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney Teens: All Labor Has Dignity by Martin Luther King, Jr

Online Resources for further study What do you think economic justice is?

What is diversity and why is it important when fighting for economic justice?

All: Dr. King Launches the Poor People's Campaign 5th & Up: Everybody’s Got a Right To Live - song 5t h & Up: PBS Newshour - Poor People's Campaign 2018 video 5th & Up: The Other America speech 5th & Up: Poor People's Campaign Open Letter 2020

Beautiful Moon by Tonya Bolden read by Shakerite Joe Miller

It Starts With Me Though Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated at 39 years old in Memphis, Tennessee, his legacy lives on. The work that MLK championed during the Civil Rights Movement continues through each of us.

“The King Center embraces the conviction that the Beloved Community can be achieved through an unshakable commitment to nonviolence” and offers a way forward. By using Dr. King’s Fundamental Philosophy of Nonviolence and his Six Steps for Nonviolent Social Change we can carry on his legacy of agape love.

“BE LOVE is a movement born amid the immense uncertainty and global tension”, challenging this generation, to help society. By acknowledging the following statements, you can help unravel critical issues facing humanity.

1. The violence, oppression, inequity, injustice, and hate in our world has to STOP. 2. I have a responsibility and role to play in creating social change for a more just, humane, equitable, and peaceful world.

3. The decision is mine whether to do nothing in this moment, or to have the courage to stand up for justice If you agree then it’s time to take the BE LOVE Pledge and help to create what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called The Beloved Community!

SHAKER LIBRARY WRITING CONTEST WINNERS Grades 3 & 4 1st Place: Michael Peoples-Dennison, Boulevard 2nd Place: Ameerah Marie Ford, Boulevard 3rd Place: Asher Nave, St. Dominic Grades 5 & 6 1st Place: Claire Richards, Menlo Park Academy 2nd Place: Robbie McCullough, Woodbury 3rd Place: Molly Weingart, Woodbury

Suggested Readings PK-4: I Promise by LeBron James 5-8: Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America by Emily Easton Teens: Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Online Resources for further study

ALL: Kid President How to Change the World ALL: Where Do We Go From Here

I Promise by Lebron James

The Martin Luther King, Jr Commemoration and Celebration was achieved through the collaborative efforts of: The City of Shaker Heights The Shaker Heights City School District The Shaker Heights Public Library