Dos and Don’ts for Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Young Children

As Martin Luther King Jr Day approaches, Ijumaa Jordan shares several helpful ‘do’s and don’ts’ for honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr with young children. Here are a few highlights from Jordan’s post, which is rich with examples, details, and further tips:

• Do anti-bias education even when it seems intimidating or daunting. This list will help.
• Don’t say/imply that racism, prejudice and resistance only happened in the past.
• Don’t sugarcoat discussions about unfairness.
• Do offer accurate information and experiences for children to explore the 4 goals of Anti-bias education: identity, diversity, justice and activism.
• Do highlight other people who worked and still do work for social justice, especially Black women.
• Don’t promote Dr. Martin Luther King as an individual leader working single-handedly towards racial equity.
• Do learn and grow each year in your own understanding of bias, the history of race and civil rights in the United States.

Jordan provides additional dos and don’ts under the headings of Preparation and Implementation, including this overriding message:

• Don’t just discuss, read books, do activities about Dr. Martin Luther King only in January.

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