Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Presentation at Yolo County Office of Education, on January 2020, by Dr. Rex Fortune, President/CEO of Fortune and Associates. www.fortuneandassociates.com

1. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING,JR.
CELEBRATION
PRESENTER
DR. REX FORTUNE
YOLO COUNTY OFFICE OF EDUCATION
JANUARY 22, 2020

2. FOUR QUESTIONS WILL GUIDE OUR
DISCUSSION TODAY.
 HOW DID MICHAEL KING BECOME DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.?
 WHAT WERE THE MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF DR. KING?
 IF DR. KING WERE ALIVE TODAY, WHAT WOULD BE HIS MAJOR
CONCERNS?
 WHAT WILL I DO THAT DEMONSTRATES THE EFFECT DR. KING’S
LEGACY ON MY LIFE?

3. Fearless & Courageous because he
knew:
 African American suffered nearly for three hundred years under
slavery in USA including lynching, often for just the sport of it.
 Free slave labor created enormous wealth for others.
 Slavery restricted opportunities for slaves to make progress, even
after the Civil War was won and Reconstruction was undertaken.
 Plantation owners fought the bloody Civil War to maintain their
lifestyles of comfort and entitlement, so well documented in films and
books.
 The Half Has Never Been Told: Slavery and the Making of American
Capitalism by Professor Edward Baptist tells how cotton and sugar cane
were major crops that slaves harvested by wealthy land owners.

4. The Half Has Never Been Told:
Slavery and the Making of American Capitalism

5. 13 years
Most of what we celebrate about Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. occurred between
1955 and 1968.

6. Rosa Parks and the Montgomery
Boycott
Image Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montgomery_bus_boycott

7. The 1955, 13-month boycott brought the city’s
economy to its knees.
Image Source: https://www.socialistalternative.org/2016/11/16/60th-anniversary-
montgomery-bus-boycott-struggle-sparked-civil-rights-movement/

8. Who Inspired Martin Luther King Jr.?
 Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr.
 Other outstanding members of the clergy
 Reverend Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
 Mahatma Gandhi

9. Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., pastor of
Ebenezer Baptist Church, 1931
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Sr.

10. Dr. Benjamin E. Mays
President of Morehouse College,
Mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Mays

11. Mahatma Gandhi
Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer, leader of the
nonviolent nationalist movement resulting in the end of British
rule of India in 1947.
Image Source: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

12. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Books
1) Stride Towards Freedom
(1958)
2) The Measure of a Man
(1959)
3) Strength to Love (1963)
4) I Have a Dream (1963)
5) Why We Can’t Wait
(1964)
6) Where Do We Go
From Here (1967)
7) The Trumpet of
Conscience (1968)
8) T he Autobiography of
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Image Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King_Jr.

13. Dr. King’s Civil Rights Protests Inspired
Support
from President John Kennedy &
President Lyndon Johnson
 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT of 1964
 VOTING RIGHTS ACT of 1965
 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY ACT of 1965
(ESEA Title I)
 Other ”War on Poverty Programs” created by
President Johnson

14. Civil Rights Act of 1964
 ABOLISHMENT OF UNFAIR APPLICATIONS FOR VOTERS OF COLOR
 PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION IN PUBLICLLY OWNED BUSINESSES LIKE HOTELS,
RESTAURANTS, AND THEATERS
 PUBLIC FACILITIES SHOULD BE OPEN TO ALL: NO PERSON DENIED
 DESEGREGATION OF SCHOOLS: ATTORNEY GENERAL TO FILE SUITS AGAINST SCHOOLS
THAT MAINTAINED SEGREGATION POLICIES
 DISALLOWMENT OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO ORGANIZATION PRACTICING DISCRIMINATION
 PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION IN THE WORKFORCE BASED ON RACE, GENDER OR
RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION
 CREATION OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION TO ENFORCE LAWS REGARDING FAIR
HIRING PRACTICES AND EQUAL PAY

15. VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965
 ELIMINATION OF BARRIERS AT STATE AND LOCAL LEVELS THAT PREVENTED
AFRICAN AMERICANS FROM EXERCISING THEIR RIGHT TO VOTE AS GUARANTEED
UNDER THE 15TH AMENDMENT TO THE U.S. CONSTITUTION.
 TELLING BLACKS THEY HAD THE WRONG DATE, TIME OR POLLING PLACE
 CHARGING A POLL TAX IN ORDER TO VOTE
 FORCING BLACKS TO TAKE A LITERACY TESTS, LIKE RECITE THE ENTIRE
CONSTITUTION OR EXPLAINING THE MOST COMPLEX PROVISION OF STATE
LAWS
 PRESIDENT JOHNSON SIGNED THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT INTO LAW ON AUGUST 6,
1965 WITH DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. AND OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS
PRESENT AT THE CEREMONY.

16. Martin L. King & key leaders meet
President Johnson over civil right
legislation
• Roy Wilkens, NAACP
• James Farmer, CORE
• Martin L. King, Jr., SCLC
• Whitney Young, Urban League
• President Lyndon Johnson
Image Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/critics-say-selma-inaccurately-claims-lbj-clashed-
with-mlk-over-civil-rights/

17. ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY
EDUCATION ACT OF 1965
 TITLE I: FUNDING FOR SCHOOLS WITH HIGH PERCENTAGE OF LOW-
INCOME FAMILIES TO CLOSE GAPS IN READING, WRITING AND
MATHEMATICS. PARENT INVOLVEMENT
 TITLE II: SUPPORT SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND TEXTBOOK ACQUISITION

 TITLE III: SUPPLEMENTAL CENTERS TO BOLSTER ATTENDANCE
 TITLE IV: EDUCATIONAL TRAINING AND RESEARCH
 TITLE V: STATE DEPARTMENTS OF EDUCATION

18. ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT OF
1964
 ESTABLISHED THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNTIY TO
ADMINISTER LOCAL APPLICATION OF FUNDS TARGETED
AGAINST POVERTY. IT CREATED:
 COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS
 JOB CORPS
 HEADSTART
 VOLUNTEERS IN SERVICE TO AMERICA (VISTA)

19. What Issues Would Engage Dr. King
today?
 Mass Incarceration of African American and Hispanic Men
 Education: The Achievement Gap at Every Level, Not Just Desegregation
 How Should We Respond to Poverty and Those Who Cannot Escape it?
 Gun Violence
 How Can All People Gain Access to Adequate Health Care?
 Immigration: Fairness & Humane Policies

20. 2018 California General & In-Custody
Population by Ethnicity
GENERAL POP INCARCERATED POPULATION
Hispanic 39% 43.8% 56,624
Black 6% 28.4% 36,731
White 37% 21.2% 27,407
Other 18% 6.6% 8,665
TOTAL 100% 100 % 129,417

21. The New Jim Crow

22. MLK Memorial
Washington, D.C.
Image Source: https://www.charlestonchronicle.net/2018/01/26/dream-of-
king-monument-in-charleston-remains-a-dream-deferred/

24. 2019 California Achievement Gap in
Math & English Language Arts

25. What Is MLK’s Legacy Effect on
Our Actions?
 Speculating about how Dr. King would lead today is not
enough.
 We must choose our own paths to overcome injustice.
Mama said to me, “what you do speaks so
loudly, I can’t hear what you say.”
So, what do I do to address ways to overcome the
achievement gap?

26. 20 Mostly Hispanic Schools Bridging
the Achievement Gap

28. 11 Mostly African American Schools
Bridging the Achievement Gap

31. Best Practices Themes of Schools
Bridging the Achievement Gap
 School leaders with a plan, expecting all students to succeed
 Teachers who believe all students can and will succeed
 Parents who commit to helping students at home & support school
 Frequent assessments & adjustments to instructional strategies
 Professional development for teachers & time for collaboration
 Technology for instruction, family communication, data analysis
 Additional time for students who fall behind
 Student experiences to encourage college & careers
 Learning opportunities for parents
 Engaged community supporters

32. TAKE-A-WAYS
TO CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF DR. KING, WILL I;
 PICK A CAUSE, ISSUE, OR MISSION THAT I WILL UNDERTAKE TODAY?
 BECOME ENGAGED POLITICALLY, IF THAT IS WHAT IT TAKES, TO AFFECT CHANGE IN
MY CLASSROOM, SCHOOL, DISTRICT, COLLEGE, COMMUNITY?
 BE INSPIRED TO TAKE ACTIONS TO REACH MY GOALS?
 HAVE SOMETHING TO REPORT THAT I WILL HAVE ACTUALLY ACCOMPLISHED BY DR.
KING’S BIRTHDAY IN 2021?

33. I’ve Been to the Mountain Top.
I’ve Seen the Promise Land.
Image Source: https://washington.org/visit-dc/martin-luther-king-jr-memorial

34. FINALE
This presentation,
our books and videos
are available on our
website
www.fortuneandassociates.com