Martin Luther King's message lives on at P.S. 207

It’s about having their own voice be heard and knowing that their voice is powerful.”

Delizabeth Taveras, P.S. 207 teacher

Students of P.S. 207 at 3030 Godwin Terrace, spent the morning of Friday Jan. 17 in their Power of Our Words Celebration, a day chock-filled with activities that aligned with the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Delizabeth Taveras, a fifth-grade teacher at P.S. 207 said the teachings of King are important to her students. 

“It’s about having their own voice be heard and knowing that their voice is powerful,” she said. 

Desks were filled with a flurry of paper clippings as Taveras’ classroom was busy cutting words and pictures out of magazines and newspapers. Pieces were then carefully glued to paper and the student’s created collages that included quotes from King while it simultaneously showcased their individuality. 

Frangelies Antigua, a student in Taveras’s classroom, chose the King quote, “Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” To coincide with the words she chose, she cut out pink objects from the piles of magazines provided. 

“Since love is pink, I’m doing pink," Antigua said. 

Each grade level performed a different activity focused on King’s message of equal rights for people of all colors and the need for everyone to stand against racial injustice. 

Meg O’Brien’s kindergarten class learned a lesson on “the power of yet,” teaching the children about dreaming big and identifying things they do not yet know but can strive for. 

Nick and Michelle Machen, parents of kindergartner Alex Machen, believed the classroom’s promotion of unity was important to the development of their child. 

“The message of togetherness and working to achieve goals are two big takeaways that have sunk in for him,” Nick said of his son’s learning. 

Michelle chimed in, “It’s about setting goals and achieving them, still working towards them and doing it together. . . I thought that was a really good message for the kids.”

On Aug. 28, 1963, 185 Riverdalians made the journey to Washington, D.C. for the march for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King Jr. stood before a crowd of over 250,000 to deliver his “I Have a Dream” speech. 

“Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children. . . I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character,” said King in his “I Have a Dream” speech. 

A short article written by several of the attendees appeared in The Press following the march. 

“It was not so much the emotional appeal of the speakers, but the sight of the people, men and women, black and white, from the north and the south — hundreds of thousands of people standing in the light of the same sun, breathing the same air, sharing a common vision,” read the Sept. 5, 1963 article. 

When King was jailed during a march against segregation in April 1963, he wrote a letter from his Birmingham jail cell, elaborating on his beliefs regarding protest and violent action. 

“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. . . there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth,” read the letter. 

On March 7, 1965, civil rights activists marched alongside King in Selma, Alabama on three separate occasions, with the first march heavily publicized for the brutal treatment of protestors. King led the second march where the group prayed at the bridge before turning around. 

Further legislation passed during the Civil Rights Movement included the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin. the Voting Rights Act of 1965, allowed Black people the right to vote. 

Almost exactly 60 years later, Martin Luther King Jr.’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III published, “What is My Legacy?: Realizing a New Dream of Connection, Love and Fulfillment” earlier this month. The book – co-authored by MLK III's wife, Arndrea Waters King and activists Mark and Craig Kielburger – focused on Living Legacy, a framework developed by studies in neuroscience, psychology and epigenetics (the study of how behavior and environment can change the way one’s genes work.) 

“‘What is My Legacy’ gives readers the chance to pause, reflect and think about how we each can make a positive impact on the world on an individual level, in our everyday life – and in doing so continuing the dream of Dr. King,” read an email on behalf of King III. 

Following in the footsteps of his father, King III led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1997 to 2003, a civil rights organization founded in 1957 by MLK Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia with a mission to educate people on personal responsibility, leadership potential and community service through nonviolent action. 

Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is on Jan. 15, but celebrated as a national holiday every third Monday of the month, this year on Jan. 20.