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Editorial - October 2002 |
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Schools should honor Martin Luther King Jr. October 9, 2002 - The Lincoln County School Board should honor the requests of local citizens who have asked the schools to officially observe Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a holiday. Sandra T. Nixon-Little, representing a committee of citizens seeking the observance, last week requested that the board make King’s birthday an official holiday beginning this January, citing its historical and educational value. The school system currently treats the holiday, which was first observed nationally in 1986, as an optional teacher work day, giving students the day off and allowing teachers the choice of whether or not to work. That connotation does little to celebrate the life of one of America’s most popular leaders. Robert Hamilton, the president of the NAACP’s Lincoln branch, said children in Lincoln schools will fail to grasp King’s importance if a change is not made. “This is an educational matter, as well as the fact that Dr. King is a great American,” Hamilton said. “We want to do everything we can to keep this before young people and let them know who he was and what he’s done for all of us.” We agree with Hamilton. Martin Luther King Jr. led a movement against discrimination and the inhumane treatment of an entire segment of the American population at a time when such expressions landed you in jail or worse. Ultimately, he died for that cause. Earlier this year, Lincoln County Commissioners unanimously approved a county-wide observance of the holiday on the third Monday of January. At the time, Lincoln was only one of six counties in the state that did not observe the holiday. School officials seemed to be receptive to the request during last week’s meeting. We hope they reach the same conclusion as that of numerous other government agencies and school systems all over the nation — that Martin Luther King Jr. holds an honored position in our history and deserves a day of recognition.
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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