Monday, January 18, 2016

HAPPY MLK DAY!

by Tristin Manus 8th



 Summary : For the first time in 17 years, civil rights leaders gathered at the South Carolina Statehouse to pay homage to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. without the Confederate flag casting a long shadow over them. The Confederate Flag was taken down during the summer of 2015, by Bree Newsome, directly after the Charleston Church shooting, where Dylann Roof massacred 9 African Americans during a bible study session. Also following the massacre at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Republican Gov. Nikki Haley reversed course and made it a priority for lawmakers to pass legislation to remove the Confederate flag. "Isn't this a great day? It's so nice to be standing here and not looking at that flag," said Ezell Pittman, who attended most of the King Day anti-flag rallies since they started in 2000. "I always had faith it would come down. I hate it took what it did, but was real happy to see it go." Today is Martin Luther King Jr.'s day (his birthday was January 15th)  and memorial to pay homage for the brave Civil rights activist and minister American Baptist minister, activist, humanitarian and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs.

Analysis: Today I went to the MLK day parade and was so excited to see all of the organizations and schools that were being featured in the parade. Today is the remembrance of someone who has done so much for the African American community and the civil rights movement. The civil rights movement is actually still alive in this day and time, aka the #blacklivesmatter movement. Martin Luther King Jr. paved the way for Black activist to speak out on social injustices in the United States, for all people of color, not just black people. Happy MLK day!!!



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