Dr. Martin Luther King: Civil Rights Leader
Who Was Martin Luther King, Jr? is a 116-page biography of America’s greatest civil rights leader. It’s one of 250 Who Was? titles, a series started in 2002, by Penguin Workshop. This particular biography is an excellent book for students in grades 4-6 studying the American Civil Rights Movement. The book shows the good deeds Dr. King performed during his life, but neglects to illustrate the man’s flaws.
There are illustrations throughout the book showing Martin Luther King, Jr, his family, and the times he lived in. Students will read about Jim Crow Laws that legally separated the races in the American South making African-Americans second class citizens. This means they were barred from eating in most restaurants, had to attend separate schools from their white peers, and drink from separate water fountains. Students will also learn about Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian spiritual leader who led peaceful non-violent protests in India to free his homeland from British rule. King crafted his response to racism following Gandhi’s example.
Key outcomes to the American Civil War are touched upon in this King biography as well as stories about other civil rights leaders such as Rosa Parks and Jesse Jackson. They will also learn about the Freedom Riders, the Montgomery, Alabama Bus Boycott, and the Civil Rights Bill signed into law by President Johnson on July 2, 1964, almost one hundred years after slavery was abolished in America.
For teachers teaching on Zoom or in a classroom, or parents home schooling their youngsters, activity sheets are available on the WHOHQ website that will add to your lesson and spark classroom discussions. Finally, NetFlix offers a program, “The Who Was? Show” making history fun through the lives of two famous people in history in each episode. For example, in their first season opener we get a glimpse into the lives of Ghandi and Ben Franklin.
About the Author
- Bonnie Bader is the author of over thirty-five books for children, five of which are Who Was? titles. She also edited several bestselling series including George Brown, Class Clown and Magic Bone by Nancy Krulik, and Here’s Hank by Lin Oliver and Henry Winkler. Bonnie is currently the Publishing Advisor to SCBWI as well as a member of the Board of Advisors. She is also a freelance editor and the author Who Was Christopher Columbus, and Who Was Alexander Graham Bell.
It seems to me that Martin Luther King presence was just yesterday. I can’t believe it has been that it’s been over 50 years since his assassination.