Yesterday morning on the way to starting our day, MyChild mentioned how it was a holiday. I asked her if they discussed WHY it was a holiday in  her [kindergarten] class. She replied, “No, just that today was a holiday.”

I did my best to narrow down and simplify the impact and ideals of Martin Luther King, Jr. for my six-year-old. The important parts I wanted her to understand were:

1. Some people did (and still do) believe that a person’s skin determines who they are and that there are limits to what they can or cannot do.

2. Sometimes, when things are not right, one person needs to speak up. And sometimes they have to repeat themselves many, MANY times.

3. It may seem impossible, but one person can start something small. And that is how we change the world.

This tied in to a book we recently read.

The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet! by Carmen Agra Deedy

I remembered buying this book, but we had never read it. Admittedly, we have quite the library of picture books. We were half-way through the book when I realized the social justice lesson involved.

La Paz is a happy, but noisy village. A little peace and quiet would make it just right. 
So the villagers elect the bossy Don Pepe as their mayor. Before long, singing of any kind is outlawed. Even the teakettle is afraid to whistle! But there is one noisy rooster who doesn’t give two mangos about this mayor’s silly rules. Instead, he does what roosters were born to do.

Again, without trying to make it too complicated, MyChild and I discussed if it was right for one person to decide what is right for a whole group of people and why it was important that the rooster kept singing no matter what happened to him (being put in a cage, having his food taken away, etc.).

MyChild saw how one silly rooster helped a town of people remember why singing (and being able to make that choice for themselves) is important.

My main mission in life: