Martin Luther King, Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech, on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

By ISABEL HALLORAN

In his I Have a Dream speech, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.”

Martin Luther King Jr. modeled his life around these words. He lived with the faith that African Americans’ suffering would not go unnoticed, and that someday people would realize that racism, segregation and unequal rights were not fair, and should have never been accepted in the first place.

Martin Luther King Jr. asks people to have faith, because he believes that it will get them through the hard times.  Faith is like hope. It can be challenging to believe in, but possessing faith and living by it is an important part of life.

This simple quote impacts us every day. It reminds us that hard work and consistency is crucial in our lives, and that they will pay off. His words comprise lines that we should live by and remind ourselves of each day. If we structure our lives around his words, we can shape the world into a place where we want to live.

On January 20, the Red Bank Charter School will celebrate a Day of Service by learning and honoring the man and his mission. We will start off the day with an opening reception and reflection in our Omni Room at 7:45 a.m., where we invite parents to join us.

After that, students will continue their day filled with guest speakers, including the founder of Hope for Children Foundation and Gwendolyn Love, the Executive Director of Lunch Break. We will also have performances by Actor’s Playground, and educational buddy activities.

At 1:30 p.m., everyone will participate in a Silent Walk through Red Bank, where we welcome parents to come walk with us. We will end our day at 3:30 with a Closing Ceremony, including a student and faculty reflection. Parents are more than welcome to join our morning Reception and Reflection, Our Silent Walk around Red Bank, and our Closing Ceremonies.

 We believe that Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing and honorable man who deserves to be commemorated. We are in school on this day to honor his life, and everything he has done to fight for equal rights. Please come and join us on this day of remembrance, learning, and reflection.