Tag: history

MLK Jr. Day

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What is Martin Luther King Jr. Day?

It is an American holiday to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

King was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States in 1929. At that time in America, black people didn’t have the same rights as white people. Black people had to sit in the back of buses. The schools were separated by skin color and there were even separate public restrooms for black people and white people. This was called segregation. Black people’s lives were not very good.

Martin Luther King Jr. Leads March for Civil Rights

Martin Luther King Jr. was a minister in the Baptist Church. He fought against racial segregation. He wanted equal rights for all people, but he didn’t use violence in his fight. He asked people to fight peacefully. For example, he asked black people to ride in the front of the bus. More than 200,000 people went to Washington D.C. to listen to him speak and ask the government to change unfair laws.


Photo of Dr. King

Because of Martin Luther King Jr., many laws began to change in the United States. But many white people disagreed with him and his ways. In 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated(1) by a white man.

Dr. King was assassinated in 1968. Just 15 years later, in 1983, then President Ronald Reagan signed this holiday into U.S. law. People first observed(2) the holiday three years later, in 1986. At first, the holiday was not popular with all American states. Some didn’t like the name and so they called it “Civil Rights Day”. However, in the year 2000, all 50 states observed the holiday using its correct name. The musician, Stevie Wonder helped the campaign(3) for the holiday. He released(4) a famous song called “Happy Birthday” in 1980. The song made millions of Americans aware of the campaign. Six million people signed a petition(5) for the American Congress to create the holiday. It is still the largest petition in U.S. history in favor of an issue.

Check out Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday song here!

Many African-Americans also sing this song during birthday celebrations!

Resources:

Martin Luther King, Jr. (5minuteenglish.com)

ESL Holiday Lessons: English Lesson on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Vocabulary:

(1)  To assassinate – verb – to kill someone important or famous

(2)  To observe – verb-  to obey a law, rule, or custom

(3) Campaign– noun- a plan with of a number of activities directed toward reaching a goal 

(4) To release– verb– to make a product available for the public to buy, often with a celebration;

(5) Petition– noun– a document signed by a large number of people demanding or asking for some action from the government

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Fourth of July – Independence Day

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The Fourth of July—also known as Independence Day or July 4th—has been a federal holiday in the United States since 1941, but the tradition of Independence Day celebrations goes back to the 18th century and the American Revolution. On July 2nd, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence, and two days later delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. From 1776 to the present day, July 4th has been celebrated as the birth of American independence, with festivities ranging from fireworks, parades and concerts to more casual family gatherings and barbecues. The Fourth of July 2021 is on Sunday, July 4, 2021; the federal holiday will be observed on Monday, July 5, 2021.

from history.com

Click Here to Read More!

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NYC Human Rights

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What are human rights?

Human rights are rights we have simply because we exist as human beings – they are not granted by any state. These universal rights are inherent to us all, regardless of nationality, sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status. They range from the most fundamental – the right to life – to those that make life worth living, such as the rights to food, education, work, health, and liberty. – from United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner

Are your human rights protected in NYC? If not…

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Stop the Hate

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Anti-Asian racism is not new, and we shouldn’t be silent about it anymore. Let’s get educated and speak out!

A gunman killed eight people at three Atlanta-area spas Tuesday night; six of the victims were women of Asian descent, sparking fears among advocacy groups that the killings may have been racially motivated.

Anti-Asian hate crimes have spiked 150 percent since the pandemic began, according to a recent study.

Suspect charged with killing 8 in Atlanta-area shootings that targeted Asian-run spas

People of Asian descent have been living in the United States for more than 160 years, and have long been the target of bigotry.

from The long, ugly history of anti-Asian racism and violence in the U.S. of the Washington Post

Click Here to read about the violence and racism that Asian immigrants and Asian Americans have faced since before the Civil War.

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History of Women’s History Month

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March is National Women’s History Month, but since women are pretty historic year-round, it begs the question: Why March? Is this month significant to women’s history, or is it just an arbitrary month on the calendar?

The answer involves a little bit of history and a little bit of coincidence.

From day to week to month

Women’s History Month, which is observed in the US, UK and Australia in March, and in October in Canada, began with a single day. International Women’s Day is March 8, and it has been observed in some shape or form since 1911. It was officially commemorated by the United Nations in 1975 and was officially recognized by the UN two years later.

In the 1970’s, local groups and municipalities began celebrating Women’s History Week. According to the National Women’s History Museum, one of the most notable celebrations was organized in Santa Rosa, California, by the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County Commission on the Status of Women in 1978.

The movement was so popular, people began lobbying for a more formal observance, and in 1980, President Jimmy Carter designated the first official National Women’s History Week, beginning on March 8 of that year.

Schools, universities and local governments came to realize that this period of time allowed them to not only celebrate the achievements of women, but look critically at equality and opportunities for women, and educate people on women’s history. It was only a matter of time before the week became a month.

According to the National Women’s History Alliance, states began declaring the whole month of March as Women’s History Month all the way up until 1986, when a more national push finally made headway. The following year, Congress declared March 1987 as the first official Women’s History Month. – from cnn.com

There are so many great women in world history. Let’s learn about 10 great women from the following video.

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What happened on January 6, 2021?

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We have already been undergoing a historic pandemic with the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the world. On January 6, 2021, to rub salt into the wound, we had to witness another historic event that our democracy was being threatened at the Capitol. Here is the timeline of the U.S. Capitol attack. Let’s remember what happened because we need to learn from history.

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