16 January 2012
As I often do this time of year, I have been thinking about our holiday today. It is an important one for our school, and we will be spending time in the coming weeks to reinforce this with our students. Parents can help with this process. Printed below is a letter that I sent to our parents a number of years ago, and I offer it now in the hope that it will spur you to talk to your children about Reverend King and the critical position he occupies in our country’s history.
15 January 2009
Dear Canterbury Parents:
As we stand on the cusp of an extended weekend, I thought I might offer a gentle reminder about the reasons why we will be out of school on Monday. Canterbury will be closed to honor the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I always try to do two things over the course of this weekend. First, I watch the recording of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, which is considered one of the finest demonstrations of American oratory of the 20th century. I also reread Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” which he penned that same year. That letter, perhaps more than anything else Dr. King said or wrote, suggests the moral code that governed his actions.
You may remember the historical context that generated the letter. Dr. King traveled to Birmingham, where he organized nonviolent protests against the racial segregation and discrimination that plagued the city. Though a judge issued an order prohibiting the protests, Dr. King ignored the order and was jailed as a result. While in jail, he received a letter from eight clergymen who asked him to abandon the demonstrations. Dr. King’s response, in the form of this letter, now stands as one of the most influential documents of modern American history.
Dr. King’s letter connects general notions of justice and injustice with their spiritual foundation. He writes, “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” Dr. King goes on to advocate for obeying just laws and disobeying unjust laws. “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” It is the conviction that his actions carried both a moral and theological imperative that, no doubt, gave Dr. King the strength needed to persevere in the face of such inequitable and appalling treatment.
It is easy to lose sight of the sacrifices made by those who have worked to make our country a better place. Amidst all that occupies our time and thoughts each day- our jobs, our children, the economy- we tend to live in the here and now unless we reserve time for reflection. Thus, we should take time to remember their accomplishments, and we reserve Monday for Dr. King. Seize the opportunity that Monday presents. I encourage you to help your children understand Monday’s significance. Read his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” watch the video of his miraculous “I Have a Dream” speech delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, and talk to your children about the perils of intolerance and injustice.
I will leave you with the final sentence from Dr. King’s letter. “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away, that the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear-drenched communities, and that in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all of their scintillating beauty.” Talking to your children about Dr. King will ensure, at least in part, that the “deep fog of misunderstanding” against which he fought so ardently will dissipate forever.
Have a great weekend.
Very truly yours,
Burns Jones
Head of School