THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, January 17, 2020 Page 3 Connecting with King Saugus Public Library gives children a chance to learn about Civil Rights leader through artwork and books SNOW BLOWER SALES, SERVICE & REPAIRS Pickup/Delivery Available 781-289-6466 DISCOVERING ART: Three-year-old Miguel Fernandes wonders how he can use a paper punch to finish off his “peace dove” cutout at the Saugus Public Library this week as his mother, Luiza Fernandes, seems amused. Children got to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by engaging in the peace exercise. By Mark E. Vogler M iguel Fernandes is too young to know about the deep impact that Martin Luther King, Jr. continues to have on the American way of life 52 years after his death. But Luiza Fernandes says she hopes her three-and-a-half-year-old son will one day learn the stories behind the artwork he engaged in this week at the Saugus Public Library. “Yes, I know about Martin Luther King,” Luiza said in an interview Wednesday, as she sat with her son at a special table set up inside the library for children to draw and color pieces of art. The kids can work on cutouts of “peace doves” or friendship hands, using an assortment of “People Colors” crayons, which reflect a diversity in skin tones. Miguel grabbed a red “peace dove” and used some of the crayons to color it. Luiza said she is happy she could do something fun and artistic with her son, which might one day resonate as a memory when her son is ready to read and learn about the late American Civil Rights leader whose nonviolent activism during the 1950s and 1960s helped to end racial discrimination in federal and state laws. Dr. King’s protests focused on laws that forced blacks and whites to sit in separate sections on the bus, segregated housing, other racial injustices, poverty and the Vietnam War. King may be best remembered for his “I Have a Dream” speech that he gave to some 250,000 people during a peaceful march on Washington, D.C. Just a year later, at age 35, King became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. During a courageous career as a citizen activist, King overcame great adversity. He was jailed, physically attacked and experienced the horror of having his home bombed as he waged his nonviolent and national war against racial injustice. He kept battling on behalf of the oppressed, using nonviolence and civil disobedience as his weapons until he was assassinated on March 29, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. Within days of his death, legislation was filed for a holiday to recognize King. Americans first observed the holiday in 1986, but it didn’t become a holiday in all states until 2000. King’s birthday is Jan. 15. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday in January each year. King received the ultimate tribute in death when Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 – also known as the Fair Housing Act – which banned discrimination in housing and housing-related matters on the basis of race, religion or national origin. “We do this kind of thing for all of the holidays,” Amy Melton, head of the Children’s Department at Saugus Public Library, said of the children’s art creation table. “But the artwork and the books that we have on display provide children and their families an opportunity to celebrate Martin Luther King’s life and legacy. He was a great man. And this serves as a reminder to people for everything he accomplished,” she said. “It’s also nice for children or their parents to come in and read from or take home books that have stories about him. It’s a way to recognize and celebrate diversity,” she said. SOME READING MATERIAL: Children visiting the Saugus Public Library this month have the opportunity to read about Martin Luther King, Jr. in these books about the Civil Rights leader. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler)
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