The Legacy of a King and His Vision for Education

As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., let us reflect on his commitment to civil rights and education. Dr. King was committed to education and advancing human rights around the world. Even though he is a historical leader in the United States of America, Dr. King is celebrated as a holiday by more than 100 nations around the world. 

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. understood the importance of education in advancing the condition of minorities and in eliminating long-standing societal prejudices. He was a very religious man, a Baptist minister. Dr. King believed by instilling the spirit among people, that they would do the right thing for all people. “A just law is a human-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law,” (MLK, 1963). 

As we continue to evolve as a society, it is essential to remind ourselves that both intelligence and human character are the core of true education: “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character–that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only power of concentration, but worthy objectives upon which to concentrate. The broad education will, therefore, transmit to one not only the accumulated knowledge of the race but also the accumulated experience of social living,” (The Purpose of education, 1947).

During the civil rights movement, Dr. King worked through churches by mobilizing people to advance the civil rights movement. The key to FaithBridge’s core work is what we call FaithBridge Math: 1 church + Edu leaders + Edu Ministry x School Connection = FaithBridge Impact. Connecting places of worship to schools so that both sides can learn about the education system and then take action on what they feel is the need as the community. We believe that education is a tool to be leveraged to liberate people to live free. That begins with the belief in one’s potential to achieve all that one dreams and is made real through the liberation of literacy and expanding possibilities through mathematical proficiency.

FaithBridge believes in a reality where 100% of children are attending and graduating from a high-quality school, ready for the choice of college, without the need for remediation. This can only be accomplished by us working together to raise up and support students and families as they exercise their freedom and live liberated from structures and systems that have failed them.

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By Guest Blogger: Dom Barrera. Dom is the Advocacy Director of FaithBridge, a faith-based nonprofit committed to engaging and mobilizing the Faith community to make a difference in our schools.