School reenacts MLK’s march on Washington
By: Bill Greenwood
"What do we want?" Debbie Rosenblum, a fourth-grade teacher at Indian Fields School, shouted into her megaphone as she marched down the school’s hallways, leading a throng of fourth- and fifth-graders behind her.
"Freedom!" came the reply.
"When do we want it?" Ms. Rosenblum shouted again.
"Now!"
The protest march could have appeared legitimate to those not in the know, as all the signs of such an event were there. The students yelled, screamed and held up signs with messages ranging from "Peace" to "Stop the hate, appreciate" to "Blacks are humans, too."
Upon reaching the library, the group sang "We Shall Overcome" as they pumped their fists in the air and shook their signs. Meanwhile, Ms. Rosenblum stood on a chair in front of the mobcrowd, inciting them to chant with her megaphone.
"I got so emotional when they came walking in (to the library)," she said. "I didn’t realize how many people there were this year, and then all of a sudden, they were all just lifting up their signs. I got so choked up and I just had to say, ‘OK, just keep it together.’"
The procession was part of a re-enactment of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 march on Washington, D.C., meant to teach the students about the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the value of acceptance.
"Tolerance is not enough," Ms. Rosenblum said. "Acceptance is the goal because when you tolerate it means, ‘I don’t like you, but I can sit in a room with you,’ and that’s not going to get us anywhere."
Ms. Rosenblum has been holding the event each year for the past 16 years. She said it is important to remember the march because there is still racial tension in today’s world.
"There’s still racism and prejudice in this world, and if I can effect a little bit of change one class at a time, I can make a difference later on. That’s my hope."
After parading through the halls and into the library, the students watched a recording of Dr. King’s famous "I Have a Dream," speech.
"I had a lot of fun doing this," fifth-grader Steven Haupt said. "I’ve seen (the speech) before but it’s really good to see it again. It’s a very nice and big speech."
Afterward, Ms. Rosenblum and her fellow teachers held debriefing sessions for their classes in which they explained the speech and answered questions. She said some of her students were able to tap into the mood of the original event.
"We asked them how they felt, and a lot of them said they were a little anxious about what was going to happen."
Fourth-grader Hope Sirimis seemed to be one of those students. She said marching around the school gave her new appreciation for Dr. King’s determination to reach his goal of a united America.
"I realized what he went through," she said, adding that while she only had to walk around the school, Dr. King had to march a long distance around Washington, D.C. "He really wanted this."
"All my friends are black, and he made that happen," she added. "So, I really like this event."
Fifth-grader Amber Hunter also seemed to gain a deeper understanding of Dr. King’s message.
"Martin Luther King and the (civil rights) people (were) trying to bring freedom to all the people around the world because he didn’t want to be separated between black and white," she said. "He just wanted them to be together like a whole family."
As the re-enactment came to a close, the mood in the school died down considerably. The school day was ending, and the students all scurried about in their classrooms preparing for after-school activities or the ride home. However, it appeared as if the march had made an impact, and Ms. Rosenblum said she hoped it would last.
"I hope they come away with the fact that prejudice still exists, and they have to battle it every day," she said. "I hope they come away from this feeling that they should be accepting one another for who they are, as Martin Luther King said, ‘by the content of their character.’ "