Program Teaches Youngsters About Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Wethersfield-WTNH) _ Kids across the state had the day off today for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. And while it could have been a day to play, some chose to spend it learning about the meaning of Dr. King's mission.
News Channel 8's Jayne Saffer has the story.

Teacher to class: "Do you have any idea who Martin Luther King was? Why he's so important? Why it's a holiday and you're not in school?"

For kids across Connecticut, Martin Luther King Day is a day off from school.

Lauren Briggs, Dir. Wethersfield Nature Center: "I had the suspicion that the kids thought of this as a no school day and may not be in tune with why they had the day off."

Because snow cancelled classes in many schools last week, many students missed learning about Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. But kids who attended a program at the Wethersfield Nature Center today learned about the civil rights leader's dream of a peaceful nation.

Rachel Godbout, Wethersfield: "He wanted everyone to get treated fairly. He encouraged the white people to help the black people be okay and not be treated unfairly."

To help kids understand the meaning of Martin Luther King day, the Wethersfield Nature Center put together a program called 'Making New Friends'. It teaches kids about appreciating their differences. That means explaining words like prejudice to these youngsters.

"A lot of people are very afraid of something that is different they don't understand it and they get scared."

But taking that fear away is the goal of programs like this one..

Sean Horan, Hartford: "Now people don't treat black people mean people treat other people equally that aren't the same color."

And it's with that feeling and understanding that Dr. King's dream lives on.

Today's News Page.

WTNH Home Page.

©1999 WTNH/WTNH-DT
A LIN station.