"Do Something and Mighty Media Launch Website for Kindness & Justice Challenge - A National Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration for Educators and Youth.

Over 1 million K-12 students and 7,000 teachers are registered to take part in two-week national service-learning and Internet-Web education program.

The Kindness & Justice Challenge takes place between January 5 and January 19, 1998. Students across the country will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by practicing acts of kindness (helping others) and justice (standing up for what is right).

Located on the Web at http://www.kjchallenge.org, the Kindness & Justice Challenge is centered on a two-week curriculum developed by Social Imaginations (a free download on the website).

Each student will receive daily projects and assignments designed to teach the components of kindness and justice (e.g. honesty, integrity, compassion and responsibility), while recognizing the important contributions of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Kindness & Justice Challenge curriculum and online program emphasize interaction, ongoing community service and classroom reflection.

Partners for the national Kindness & Justice Challenge include the Corporation for National Service, American Association of School Administrators, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Association of Secondary School Principals, Quest International, Close Up Foundation, and Key Club International.

Visit the Kindness & Justice Challenge website at http://www.kjchallenge.org and celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with commitment and feeling."

The following group of sites were forwarded to me by Dina Portnoy, PhilWPer and super teacher at University City High School. She must be a member of a email listserve that forwarded this great list of sites to her--but I'm not sure of the name of it (Dina?). The comments following are not mine or hers however--the list and comments were put together by Angelika Machi of the ASCD's Professional Development Unit.

http://www.holidays.net/mlk/
The most comprehensive site on Martin Luther King that I found. It tells the story of MLK, but also includes information about Rosa Parks, gives background information on the holiday, provides MLK's "I Have A Dream" speech, and has a guestbook where you can share your thoughts or read what others have written.

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/
Maintained by the Papers Project at Stanford University. There is a wonderful section entitled "About King," which provides a biography, articles, a chronological walk through his life, and reference materials. Another section, "By King," contains the papers of MLK. However, a one-time login is required, and it takes quite a while. Once you register, they send you a username and password. Check out their "Recent Updates" section to find new additions to the site, including speeches and links to other web sites.

http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk/classroom.html
Another site sponsored by the *Seattle Times*. This site is geared to teachers and students, providing a study guide with questions that prompt further discussion. Test your knowledge by taking their interactive quiz, and check out the list of additional resources.

http://www.seattletimes.com/mlk/movement/PT/phototour.html
This is a great photo tour of the Civil Rights movement, courtesy of (yes!) the *Seattle Times*. It starts with a photo of Rosa Parks in December 1956 and progresses through 1989, with a photo of Douglas Wilder, the first African American to be elected as state governor.

http://pathfinder.com/Life/mlk/mlkpics.html
*Life* magazine's tribute to Martin Luther King, Jr. Classic *Life* magazine covers with the dates of the photos and a brief heading describing the event.

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/subjects/afam/mlkdream.html
This site provides the full-length text for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

http://www.triadntr.net/~rdavis/mlkbirm.htm
Read the letter that Martin Luther King wrote on April 16, 1963, from the Birmingham jail where he was being held.

http://www.oocities.org/~wwwin/mlking.htm
A collection of quotes from MLK--inspiring and definitely worth reading.

And below is a poem that I received from the EdNet email listserve that I'm subscribed to. It was written by Jamie McKenzie, Editor of From Now On--The Educational Technology Journal. The journal itself might also be of interest. I myself am not real familiar with it--let me know what you think.

"As we approach a day honoring the memory and contributions of Martin Luther King, I share the following poem in the hopes that it will help remind our students of his impact upon our lives. Standing Tall - In honor of Martin Luther King

Some kings rule their kingdoms sitting down
Surrounded by luxury, soft cushions and fans
But this King stood strong
stood proud
stood tall

When the driver told Rosa "Move to the back of the bus!"
When the waiter told students "We don't serve your kind!"
When the Mayor told voters "Your vote don't count!"
And when the sheriff told marchers "Get off our streets!"
using fire hoses, police dogs and cattle prods
to move them along

This King stood strong
stood proud
stood tall

Speaking of peace
of love
and children
hand in hand
free at last
free at last

When some yelled for violence
For angry revenge
An eye for an eye
And a tooth for a tooth
He stood his ground
Preaching peace

And when some spit out hate
He stood there smiling
Spreading love
Until it rolled like the sea across the land
Sweeping away Jim Crow
Breaking down the walls
Ringing the bell
Joyfully
For Freedom

Until
Standing on the mountain top
They shot him
Coldly
Hoping to see him fall
Hoping to put him away
To bring him low

But this King
even in death
even today
stands strong
stands proud
stands tall
And we remember

Copyright, 1980 Jamie McKenzie, all rights reserved. Schools, teachers and students may make printed copies for educational purposes within their schools. All other duplication, publication or distribution by paper or electronic means is prohibited
unless permission is expressly granted by the author. mckenzie@fromnowon.org

And, in the words of Dr. King himself, "Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice. Justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love."

Hope everyone is well and had a great holiday. See you next week!

Christina