MLK Day: It’s Not Too Late to Do a Service Activity Tomorrow

Posted on January 19, 2020

Tomorrow is the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, MLK Day of Service.

All around the nation, schools, philanthropic organizations and civic groups have planned service events in honor of the memory of the civil rights icon who gave his life for others.

It’s actually NOT too late to find a service activities organized around the nation to participate in tomorrow or in an ongoing basis, and there is still time for you and the children to do something kind on their own for their neighbors or fellow man.

Here are a 6 other suggestions besides watching a speech and reflecting on its meaning:

Take garbage bags down to the town creek or some other littered area near your home and clean it up.
Make sandwiches and pack fruit and a snack into about a few dozen brown bags and pass them to homeless people in the closest town or city to you.
Gather old toys and bag them up to donate to Goodwill or a local family shelter.
Call a local home for the elderly and ask if you can come by and play cards and/or board games with the residents.
Make Homemade colorful Get Well Greetings cards to send to a local children’s hospital/
Make Festive Thank You Cards to send to the local USO to ship off to military serving abroad.

Good luck and Happy MLK Day of Service!

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News

MLK Day: Cities With Most Racial Inequity Progress

Posted on January 14, 2020

With Martin Luther King Jr. Day around the corner and 58 percent of Americans saying race relations are “generally bad,” the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2020’s States with the Most Racial Progress as well as accompanying videos.

To measure America’s progress in harmonizing racial groups, WalletHub measured the gaps between blacks and whites across 21 key indicators of equality and integration in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The data set ranges from median annual income to standardized-test scores to voter turnout.

This report examines the differences between only blacks and whites in light of the high-profile police-brutality incidents that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement.

Most Racially Integrated States		States with the Most Racial Progress
1. New Mexico		1. Wyoming
2. Hawaii		2. Texas
3. Wyoming		3. Mississippi
4. Texas		4. Georgia
5. West Virginia		5. New Jersey
6. Arizona		6. New Mexico
7. Kentucky		7. Florida
8. Montana		8. North Carolina
9. Maryland		9. South Carolina
10. Colorado		10. Idaho

Key Stats

The District of Columbia has the lowest gap in homeownership rates between whites and blacks, at 12.82 percent. Connecticut has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 8.81 percent.
Hawaii has the lowest gap in median annual household incomes between whites and blacks, at 10.54 percent. Wyoming has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1979, with a change of 32.18 percent.
Vermont has the lowest gap in unemployment rates between whites and blacks, at 0.18 percent. North Dakota has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 10.01 percent.
Hawaii has the lowest gap in poverty rates between whites and blacks, at 1.49 percent. Mississippi has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 25.45 percent.
Vermont has the lowest gap in the share of adults 25 years and over with at least a bachelor’s degree between whites and blacks, at 1.25 percent. Idaho has made the most progress in closing this gap since 1970, with a change of 4.82 percent.

To view the full report and your state or the District’s rank, please visit:

https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-the-most-and-least-racial-progress/18428/

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Tips

MLK Day: 6 Last-Minute Way Your Child Can Honor by Serving

Posted on January 15, 2018

If you didn’t enroll you or your children to participate in one of the many service activities organized around the nation, there is still time for you and the children to do something kind on their own for their neighbors or fellow man.

Here are a 6 other suggestions besides watching a speech and reflecting on its meaning:

Take garbage bags down to the town creek or some other littered area near your home and clean it up.
Make sandwiches and pack fruit and a snack into about a few dozen brown bags and pass them to homeless people in the closest town or city to you.
Gather old toys and bag them up to donate to Goodwill or a local family shelter.
Call a local home for the elderly and ask if you can come by and play cards and/or board games with the residents.
Make Homemade colorful Get Well Greetings cards to send to a local children’s hospital/
Make Festive Thank You Cards to send to the local USO to ship off to military serving abroad.

Good luck and Happy MLK Day of Service!

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MLK Day: 5 Ways to Celebrate with Your Kids

Posted on January 14, 2017

Keep the Dream Alive

“He wanted all the brown kids and white kids to like each other.”

“He wanted everybody to sit on the bus wherever they want.”

“He had a dream and it was so big and then he died.”

In honor of the gifts Dr. King gave our nation, try these five creative ways to help children celebrate his vision of hope and sense of humanity.

1. Create a Multicultural Banquet!

One of Martin Luther King’s greatest achievements was his ability to help Americans appreciate diversity. Celebrate his birthday with an eclectic holiday dinner featuring cuisine from different countries or geographical regions. Serve Puerto Rican rice-and-beans, Boston clam chowder, a Chinese stir-fry, and a peach pie from Dr. King’s native Atlanta. The variations on this theme are endless, and the dinner doesn’t need to be time-consuming. You can achieve almost the same effect by stopping for takeout from Kentucky Fried Chicken, Taco Bell, and your local pizza parlor (Italian or Greek).

2. Decorate with Many Colors

What’s a birthday party without decorations? Here’s a great MLK Day activity to do with younger children: Make the classic paper chains using black, white, red, yellow, and brown construction paper to represent the various skin tones found across our nation. Show kids the symbolism behind the craft: “Each link represents a hand, and our chain reminds us that Dr. King joined hands with people of all colors when he marched for freedom.” A variation on this theme: Children can trace their own hands, then color them in using different skin-tone shaded crayons.

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