As Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday approaches, many children will only hear sugarcoated accounts of his life and legacy. Instead of introducing kids to the radical truth Dr. King preached, teachers and parents too often distort his message into soundbites that keep those of us who are white feeling comfortable. Instead, I invite educators and families to consider how you can teach truthfully about Dr. King. This invitation extends beyond his birthday celebration to the entire year.
Table of Contents (click on the topic to jump directly to it)
- Common mistakes to avoid when teaching about Dr. King
- Articles, lesson plans, and activity ideas to help you teach truthfully about Dr. King
- Children’s book recommendations about Dr. King
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Common mistakes to avoid when teaching children about Dr. King
Before diving in, let’s talk about mistakes to avoid. The point of this list isn’t to make you feel guilty if you’ve taken these approaches in the past. The idea is to help you take a better approach starting now.
Mistake #1: Talking to kids about racism as if it’s only personal prejudice
Adults often fall back on talking about personal prejudice because it’s easy to understand. It also helps those of us who are white feel comfortable, because we likely don’t think of ourselves as racist people.
But personal prejudice is just one small part of a much bigger reality: systemic racism. Teaching truthfully about Dr. King means talking about institutional racism with kids. Take a look at my post on the definition of racism to find kid-friendly explanations.
Mistake #2: Only talking about race and racism on Dr. King’s birthday
Adults need to talk to children about race, racism, and Black leaders (from a variety of fields) all-year round. Those lessons and conversations should equip Black children and other kids of color to feel proud of their heritage. They should also help white children be aware of how race and racism shape their own lives. Here are some booklists to help you have these crucial conversations:
42 powerful books about race and racism for kids and teens
15 books to help kids understand Black Lives Matter
20 outstanding children’s books about Black women leaders
20 children’s books by Native American and First Nations authors
34 children’s books about Asian Pacific American history
24 engaging picture books starring Latine characters
Mistake #3: Talking about Dr. King only as an individual hero, separate from the civil rights movement
In the United States, we have a love-affair with individualism. That means we hold up heroes outside of their context, ignoring the lesser-known leaders and hundreds of thousands of everyday people who carried out the civil rights movement. In this post I’ll share ideas of books that place Dr. King in context of the movement (keep scrolling!), and you can also see this book list for more civil rights movement books.
Mistake #4: Saying that Dr. King didn’t believe that race mattered
I’ve heard some (well-intentioned) white teachers tell children that Dr. King though that race didn’t matter, or shouldn’t matter. They’re likely thinking of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech when they say this, but it’s just not true.
Dr. King didn’t want racism to exist, but that’s not the same as saying race doesn’t matter. As you can see in one of the videos in this article from Learning for Justice, Dr. King encouraged Black people to embrace the Black Is Beautiful movement.
Mistake #5: Pretending that racism ended with the civil rights movement
Talking about racism is painful. Adults don’t want children to become too discouraged. We want kids to see that Dr. King and others created real social change. That can lead to telling tidy narratives instead of speaking honestly about the many ways that racism is present today. Instead, think about how you can teach truthfully about present-day systemic racism using examples like these.
Mistake #6: Using language that ends up blaming Black people for racism they experience
I’m so thankful to Black parents who helped me realize that sometimes the way I talked to kids about racism could result in Black children feel ashamed. Our language needs to make it clear that being Black is not the problem. Racism is the problem.
Articles, lesson plans, and activity ideas to help you teach truthfully about Dr. King
Share quotes from Martin Luther King that are often ignored by mainstream media
Depending on the age of your children, you could encourage them to re-write quotes in their own words. Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a good place to start.
Talk about what Dr. King might have meant when he wrote “justice too long delayed is justice denied.”
Think of examples today when activists have been criticized for pushing for change too quickly, just as white clergy in Birmingham criticized King in 1963. (If you need examples, just google media coverage of the Black Lives Matter movement.)
The book A Time to Break Silence: The Essential Works of Martin Luther King, Jr. for Students is a great resource to use with tweens and teens. Each speech or letter is followed by reflection questions.
Explore how Dr. King linked the “giant triplets” of racism, materialism, and militarism
To teach truthfully about Dr. King, we have to understand his work to not only dismantle racism, but also economic injustice and militarism. The Zinn Education Project has discussion ideas for Dr. King’s “A Revolution of Values” speech for middle and high school students. (You’ll need to create a free account to access the lesson.)
Help young children connect “fairness” and “justice”
In this piece from Rethinking Schools, second-grade teacher Stephanie Walters talks about how she helped kids understand racial justice using examples from Martin Luther King and Ruby Bridges’ lives.
Connect the civil rights movement with today’s Black Lives Matter movement
Teaching truthfully about Dr. King should include exploring how other movements complemented or continued his work. In this article for Learning for Justice, teacher Bret Turner talks about helping first grade students connect Dr. King, civil rights, the Black Panthers, and the Black Lives Matter movements.
If you’re working with young children, check out these excellent resources from educator Laleña Garcia for teaching about Black Lives Matter.
Offer children opportunities to take antiracist action
Systemic racism is alive and well, and one of the best ways to honor Dr. King with children is to invite them to do something about racism. Parents and caregivers, ask children if they’d like to help you write a letter to members of Congress about book bans or attacks on diversity equity and inclusion happening in school districts. You can use the family-friendly template for letter writing, available in my free Resource Library.
Students could be invited to share their thoughts about teaching about racism in schools with state legislators.
Explore how the arts fueled the civil rights movement
One of my favorite children’s books of 2021 was The Art of Protest by De Nichols (for ages 10+). With stunning illustrations by a variety of “artivists,” she shows young people how art such as the “I Am a Man” posters of the 1968 sanitation strike supported by Dr. King were crucial to the movement.
You can find suggestions for using music in this piece that I wrote for PBS SoCal.
Children’s books to help you teach truthfully about Dr. King and the civil rights movement
Here are some of the books for kids and teens that help them understand Dr. King’s message and work within the broader context of the civil rights movement.
The Dream Builder’s Blueprint: Dr. King’s Message to Young People by Alice Faye Duncan. Illustrated by E.B. Lewis.
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Why I recommend it: In this powerful book, Duncan takes excerpts of a 1967 King speech to a group of junior high school students and creates an erasure poem of some of the key ideas Dr. King wanted youth to understand. “Black is beautiful,” “you count,” and “achieve excellence” are all key messages of the book. There are also extensive end notes that could be used to create both lessons on history and poetry. (Recommended for ages 7 – 11. Black author.)
We Dream a World by Yolanda Renee King. Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell.
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Why I recommend it: Written by Dr. King’s granddaughter when she was a teenager, this beautifully illustrated book connects the injustices, hopes, and dreams of young people today with Dr. King’s work. Yolanda writes that she’s often asked by people if she is ready to fill her grandparents’ shoes. She powerfully writes about how today’s young people are ready to meet challenges like violence and poverty and build a better world. (Recommended for ages 4 – 8. Black author.)
Sharing the Dream by Shelia P. Moses. Illustrated by Keith Mallett
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Why I recommend it: So many accounts of the March on Washington only focus on Dr. King, while ignoring the many other leaders and participants who made the massive event possible. In this story of a young Alabama girl who’s travelled with her family to DC for the march, the family first stops at the home of Frederick Douglass. Her parents talk about all the people who’ve lent their support to the march, including Sidney Poitier and Lena Horne. At the march, there are large illustrations and descriptions of leaders such as Mahalia Jackson and John Lewis. All of this puts Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in the larger context of the civil rights movement. (Recommended for ages 6 – 10. Black author.)
Child of the Civil Rights Movement by Paul Young Shelton and Raul Colón
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Why I recommend it: This book is written from the childhood perspective of Paula Young, daughter of civil rights leader Andrew Young. I like the way it shows the anger at racism that fueled the nonviolent civil rights movement, and how Dr. King and his fellow leaders debated strategy. The book also humanizes Dr. King for kids, showing how Paula loved doing ordinary things like swimming and having dinner with him. Finally, it highlights the mothers whose contributions were often ignored. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9. Black author.)
Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
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Why I recommend it: Mrs. Parks and Dr. King are key players in this story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but the real stars are the masses of Black citizens of Montgomery who made tremendous sacrifices for an entire year. (Recommended for ages 4 – 9. Black author.)
Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Dee Romito and Laura Freeman
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Why I recommend it: Too often we only teach children about the leaders like Dr. King who made speeches in front of thousands. Not every person is meant to speak in front of a crowd, but every person can contribute to movements for justice. This true story shows how baker-extraordinaire Georgia Gilmore fundraised large sums of money to sustain the bus boycott, while taking care to conceal her contributions from white employers. I also love that when Dr. King announces the end of the bus boycott, Mrs. Gilmore knew there would be more battles to fight “so Georgia Gilmore kept right on cooking.” (Recommended for ages 4 – 9. White author.)
Let the Children March by Monica Clark-Robinson and Frank Morrison
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Why I recommend it: The poetic text and expressive illustrations are my first reason for recommending this account of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. The story also shows how parents and civil rights leaders struggled about whether their children should participate. Dr. King is shown respecting join people’s desire to join the marches, even though he was worried for them. (Recommended for ages 5 – 9.)
Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968 by Alice Faye Duncan and R. Gregory Christie
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Why I recommend it: Teaching truthfully about Dr. King must include the Poor Peoples Campaign that he launched toward the end of his life. Most accounts of Dr. King focus on the early civil rights campaigns to desegregate buses and for voting rights. This moving tale focuses on the last campaign he joined, the Memphis sanitation strike for economic justice. The daughter of one of the strikers narrates the book, drawing attention to the unsung working class heroes of the movement. (Recommended for ages 8 – 12. Black author.)
Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round: My Story of the Making of Martin Luther King Day
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Why I recommend it: This short novel-in-verse is packed with history from a young person’s perspective. Kathlyn was a high school student when Dr. King came to Memphis to support the sanitation workers’ strike. She gives so many clear examples of how racism in Memphis impacted people and motivated her to march and protest. After sharing about the events that led to Dr. King’s death, the book focuses on the effort to make his birthday a holiday, which did not happen until 1983. The long fight to have his work recognized will help young readers see that Dr. King remained a controversial figure long after his death. (Recommended for ages 10+. Black author.)
Nobody Gonna Turn Me ‘Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement
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Why I recommend it: Dr. King is of course present in several of the stories in this book, but so are many brave people who young people likely don’t know. Readers learn about Mose Wright, a Black man who bravely testified against Emmett Till’s white murderers, J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant. We meet women like Jo Ann Robinson, whose behind-the-scenes work sustained the Montgomery Buss Boycott. (Recommended for ages 10+. Be aware that quotes using the n-word are included. White author.)
Martin Rising: Requiem for a King by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney
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Why I recommend it: This heartfelt, spiritual volume covers Dr. King’s life and work, and even beyond his death, in poetry. The dates that are included at the top of each poem will also allow students to do research in the particular events the poem focuses on. (Recommended for ages 8+. Black author.)
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, Espeth Leacock, Susan Buckley, and PJ Loughran
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Lynda Blackmon was the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights campaign that walked from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. After answering Dr. King’s call on “Empancipation Day,” Lynda was arrested nine times before she turned 15 years old. Her first-hand account is accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations and numerous photographs, giving young people a powerful window into the civil rights movement. (Recommended for ages 10 – 14. Black author.)
