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Welcome to your Honors American Studies blog. We will use this tool throughout the course to discuss current events and reflect upon class discussion.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Current Event: Treasure Coast activities honor civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In southern Florida, Treasure Coast counties such as St. Lucie County, Indian River County, and Martin County are honoring Martin Luther King Jr. with parades, and many activities leading up to January 17. The whole meaning behind theses events is to bring about a theme which is self-above-self, which means that people should help others and their community. The activities in the counties are supposed to catch the attention of people of all races, countries and faiths working together.
From January 7-14th, the St. Lucie County is having a "week of kindness", which consists of many events such as MLK gospel songfest, MLK spelling bees, awards breakfast, family fun day, and youth essay and oratorical night.
Although many of the events are free, and accept public donations, some require a small fee between $3-15. Following the parade in that county January 17, there will be other events that follow to furthermore honor Martin Luther King Jr.
In the Indian River County, and Martin County, they are also having similar activities to those in the St. Lucie County, as well as having small fees to enter.

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/jan/10/treasure-coast-activities-honor-civil-rights-jr/


Probing Question: Do you think that other states such as Massachusetts, should hold parades and activities like the ones in the Treasure County?

13 comments:

  1. I think other states should do the parade too because it shows how far we have gotten from having blacks be equal to white men and how much of an influental man Martin Luther King Jr. was. Also the second meaning to the parades about how they are "self-above-self" impowering helps people maybe have an interest in doing community work. I also think it would be a good experience for children to learn about good morals and Martin Luther and what he stands for. It could help raise our youth into believing that everyone is actually equal, and it could help decrease the amount of rasicm in the future.

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  2. I think there should, but to an extent. I mean obviously, we don't want our entire towns shutting down for these, but there are the people that want to celebrate this day. Yes, it's an important day in Black rights, but, like I said we don't want it to become very wild to the point that there would be riots and such. It should be parades that show what was won and such, just not like "Black pride, or black power". I think it would be a good idea to bring up though, in future decisions.

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  3. I do believe that we should celebrate this. Everyone can definitely see how far black rights have gone and it should be known. We are all taught about black activists and how the blacks have came so far so I believe that we should not just be taught about this but also we should celebrate what we all have done. I agree with Caitlin that it could possibly help the youth in thinking that we are all equal when we actually are.

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  4. Yes, I think that more states should hold parades and activities to honor Martin Luther King Jr. He was integral in the civil rights movement and the growth of equality. The national holiday itself should be enough of a reason to celebrate him with some events. It's a perfect time for a reminder of equality and as Caitlin said, it's a good time for children to learn major history and morals. I think that more widespread celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. day would also pay homage to others who worked alongside him as well. It's hard not to think about Martin Luther King Jr. day as simply about the man. It also makes one think of the movement he worked for so it celebrates civil rights as well. Overall, it seems like a good way to remember.

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  5. I think these parades and activities are a good way to help remember what the people before had to go through to get us where we are today. If more things like this were done everywhere people might be able to understand how equality is such a big deal. If we never celebrate or find a way to remember the past than we will only make the mistakes we made before again in the future.

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  6. I think that other states that don't hold any parades should definitely start participating. Holding a parade to help support self-above-self can help to improve a lot of American outlooks if enough states decide that they want to keep this idea alive. I also think that having all of these activities available, it brings all these people together who think they're so different from one another. Being able to include all the races together proves that there's more equality than difference between them. Providing change in the states that don't do the parades would make them more aware of the actions done in the past so it can better prepare us for what is to come.

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  7. Yes I think other states such as Massachusetts should hold a parade, because civil rights applies to everyone so why not celebrate it everywhere? Plus the civil rights movement was meant to make everyone equal, so the parade should be celebrated everywhere to ensure that everyone gets included in it equally, uniting people and making them all feel more alike than different. Also with celebrating this, people will learn more about our nations history regarding the movement, there are only good things that can come from states that take part in this parade.

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  8. I think that we should do something like this in Massachusetts. It is a good way to celebrate someones life and achievements and a good way to get the community involved. This is a good and creative way that you can teach people. The only thing is that if people were to be racist they could ruin the event. So I would say yes to having this but to have police on the scene and to maybe have a town discussion about how the people feel this would benefit the community.

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  9. I think that the state of Massachusetts should also do something like this because significant people in U.S history, such as Martin Luther King Jr. should be praised. The United States as a whole should celebrate these wonderful moments. It is not that difficult to make a day to commemorate the great people who are the foundations for our country today.

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  10. I think that more states should have parades and celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr. He is a big part of our history and should be remembered properly. He changed our country for the better and should be recognized for that. I think Garrett makes a good point when he says it should be to an extent. We shouldn't be shutting down towns all over the country for this.. although, we are all home anyways. Either way I think that Massachusetts should be doing something.

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  11. I think that other states should hold parades and activities like the ones in the Treasure County. It not only brings together the people in the community, but having such an event brings history to life. As years pass, history gets further and further behind us, thus not always keeping the important events in world history at the forefront of learning. Activities such as parades, poster contests, and such will hopefully inspire students to learn about the history of Martin Luther King Jr. either in school or at home. We need to keep history alive because those it has been said, that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

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  12. I think these types of celebrations could always be helpful if used correctly. For example, if there is an annual celebration for the Martin Luther King cause at hand, I think it could be very exciting and informative. A week of Martin Luther King celebrations and activities is a very fun way to alert the public of this man's heroic actions.
    On a side note that probably won't have to be worried about, too much celebration could have a reverse effect. This could cause people to get bored of it, and become less involved. I'm not sayin this is an absolute problem, I'm just thinking too much could erase the wanted effect.

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  13. I think this type of celebration would always be good in our environment to see how much has changed. Martin Luther King Jr. has done a lot and has done a lot of speeches, he should be remembered for everything he did. Doing these types of things will bring history back into modern day time. People can learn more about what really happened and who he is more if there are parades and activities.

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