What will you do to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day?
The federal holiday is on Jan. 16, when New York schools are closed, and a multitude of events will take place in the city throughout the three-day weekend.
WNYC will again offer a community event hosted by Brian Lehrer, this year with the theme, "In MLK's Footsteps: Education as a Civil Right." The event is co-sponsored by SchoolBook, among others.
Mr. Lehrer, along with Jami Floyd, managing editor of The Global Game, will preside over a panel that includes Cami Anderson, a former city school official who is now superintendent of the Newark Public Schools; Fredrick C. Harris, professor of political science and director of Columbia University's Center on African-American Politics and Society; Rachel Moran, dean of the U.C.L.A. School of Law; Harvard Sitkoff, professor of history at the University of New Hampshire; Touré, journalist, and John A. Stokes, who was a plaintiff in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case.
The event is at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, at the Brooklyn Museum. Tickets are free and though they are sold out, there is a wait list.
Many schools are also planning M.L.K. events. SchoolBook wants to know about yours. Post a notice about your event on your school's SchoolBook page or e-mail us with news or photos.
And right on the heels of M.L.K. Day is Black History Month. Students are woefully lacking in knowledge about civil rights history, as The Learning Network reports on Friday.
The Learning Network, which provides teaching and learning materials and ideas based on New York Times content, is asking teachers to share their best ideas, lesson plans and experiences, and will put together a roundup before Feb. 1. The blog also offers a trove of teaching materials.
Why do students know so little about the civil rights movement? Is this so in New York? And how do you think the civil rights movement should be taught? What can be done to freshen the content and stimulate students' understanding of this crucial period of American history?
WNYC listeners, community event guests and SchoolBook users: Share your ideas here.