ALL IN! MONDAY

ALL IN officially begins today. Over the next several days, student groups across metro Detroit will be surveying their peers to find out who feels "in" and who doesn't at their school, hosting dialogue sessions with other students and reporting what they find to school administration. To kick-off these activities, each day this week our blog will feature a new topic for discussion, reflection and action. Whether or not you are part of an ALL IN! student group, we encourage you to visit this blog each day for ways that you can make a difference on your own or with others!

DAY 1: REFLECTION
Before we can move forward to build more inclusive schools and communities, we first need to look back and find inspiration from the leaders who came before us, and the barriers that they fought to overcome. Today America celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. King focused the nation's eyes on civil rights by working tirelessly to end oppression through nonviolent means, becoming the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.



Reflection Questions:
1. In his most famous speech, King described his dream for America. What is your dream for your community? What needs to happen to make your school, neighborhood and city closer to that dream?

Individual Activity:
Martin Luther King may be the best known figure of the American Civil Rights movement, but he understood the importance of community, and he did not do his work alone. King made important community connections. He worked with the American Friends Service Committee to travel to India and study Ghandi's principles of nonviolent resistance. He was counseled by civil rights leaders like Bayard Rustin, an activist who fought for racial equality as well as lgbt equality. He lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott after Claudette Colvin and later (more famously) Rosa Parks refused to give up seats to white bus passengers.

Investigate the contributions made by one of the people or groups that worked with or inspired Martin Luther King. Some links to get you started:
http://rustin.org/
http://www.rosa-parks-biography.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King

Who inspires you? What connections do you need to make in order to carry on Martin Luther King's legacy in your community?

For more information on participating in ALL IN! in your school, visit www.miroundtable.org