NYC school follows in King's footsteps
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaks April 15, 1967 at a peace rally in New York City. Credit: AP
Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights legacy is not a one-day affair but a yearlong vocation for eighth graders at Manhattan Country School.
Founded in 1966 to honor and continue King's work, the East Harlem private school Monday held its 23rd annual march to celebrate King's birthday.
More than 200 students and parents marched along Central Park West Monday. They started at John Lennon's Strawberry Fields Garden of Peace memorial where, in speeches that voiced passion for social justice, students applied King's message to gentrification in Harlem, religious tolerance, gay marriage and advocating for more local farms and green markets.
For eighth-grader Quitze Eguigure, 14, of Washington Heights, hate crimes top his list of social issues. Attending Manhattan Country School reminds him to practice what King preached, that "we are all human beings,'' he said.
"You can't control the color of your skin - after all we are all human beings. Some people can't stand to see differences and don't understand how to react to it other then being violent or target a group.
"I remember this everyday when I learn about civil rights and interact with kids of all races and religions,'' said Eguigure, whose speech was about accepting a mosque near Ground Zero.
Isaac Burg, 13, of Park Slope, Brooklyn, said, "You can't sit around and do nothing and expect the world change." Burg spoke about having more local farms and green markets that will offer opportunities to small business "instead of big companies."
Burg used the school's upstate farm as an example. Every year, students go to the farm and learn about livestock and agriculture. The farm produces food that is eaten by students at the school.
For 13-year-old eighth grader Vaughn Simmons, marching on King's birthday is about giving thanks for his civil rights work.
"If it wasn't for Martin Luther King Jr., I would not be in a [diverse] classroom . . . exchanging new ideas and hearing about different cultures," said Simmons. "I am very grateful to MLK Jr."
(An earlier version of this story misidentified Quitze Eguigure.)
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 15: LI's top basketball players On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra and Matt Lindsay take a look top boys and girls basketball players on Long Island.
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