Citizens in Action
Georgians and Civil Rights
What's the point?
My unit of study will shed light on ideas that my young students are familiar with but have not had as deep of an exposure to in prior grades. Racism is a very sensitive subject, and I am going to focus my lessons on the personal choices that Jackie Robinson and Martin Luther King, Jr. made throughout their lives that led them down a path in American history.
One man...one sport...one mission
Jackie Robinson spent his life fighting for inequalities on and off the baseball field. His parents were sharecroppers, and his grandparents were slaves. His mother's decision to move her family to California was a life-defining moment for young Jackie. He was a star athlete at UCLA and later became an officer in the Army. He was given an Honorable Discharge from the Army after fighting against a pending court-martial where he was riddled with false charges. His decision to join the Brooklyn Dodgers changed the way all Americans viewed integregation in professional sports. The moment he stepped foot onto the field, he was the epitome of a soldier in battle. Sadly, his teammates hated him at first, and the fans taunted him fervently. He weathered the onslaught of racism for years and was an activist until his untimely death at the age of 53.
Preaching for a Just World
Following in the footsteps of his minister father, Martin Luther King, Jr. was born to lead others. He was an academically gifted student. He graduated hight school at the young age of 15 and eventually earned a doctorate degree from Boston University. One of Dr. King's fights against injustice centered on employment discrimination. He brought to light the terrible wages that black sanitation workers earned. They qualified to receive welfare assistance even though they worked a 60-hour week. He used his oratorical prowess to remind the world that a better future could be in everyone's grasp if people were not judged by the color of their skin. His assasination in 1968 at the age of 39 created an outrage that is still felt today. The peace that he believed in is part of a promise land built on the goodness of others.
Our Friend, Martin
Do you want to learn more about Dr. King's life? Click on the link below to watch a popular video that will take you on a journey through his life.