3 Places & Books to Share with Your Child to Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.
This Martin Luther King Jr. day, we compiled a list of special places and events from King Jr.’s life, along with some amazing books you can share with your little one. Although Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January, remember, teaching your children about black history is important all year round!
3 Important Places
1. Atlanta, Georgia
Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthplace and childhood home. King Jr. was one of three children born to his parents, Martin Luther Sr. and Alberta King, on January 15, 1929. King was a very gifted student. He started college at the age of 15 at Morehouse College, a historically black college or university, in Atlanta. He graduated from Morehouse with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology at the age of 19. Bonus—Atlanta is also home to the MLK Jr. National Historic Park!
2. Boston, Massachusetts
Martin Luther King Jr. received his doctorate degree at Boston University at the age of 25. Boston is also where he met his wife, Coretta Scott King, and they have 4 children, Martin Luther King III, Dexter, Yolanda and Bernice King.
3. Washington, D.C.
On August 28, 1963, King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech to a crowd of over 250,000 at the Lincoln Memorial. If you ever find yourself in Washington, D.C. with your little one, The National Museum of African American History & Culture is home to many of King Jr.'s historical artifacts.
Recommended Reading
Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.? by Lisbeth Kaiser, Who HQ, & Stanley Chow
Part of the New York Times best-selling series, Who Was?, this easy-to-understand biography introduces one of our country’s most beloved heroes and is perfect for audiences as young as two years old.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Margaret McNamara, Illustrated by Mike Gordon
Filled with kid-friendly art, this book tells the story of Mrs. Connor, who teaches her first grade class to dream as big as Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed. Great for ages 4+.
Max Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day by Adria F. Worsham, Illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole
Follow along as Max celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day at school. This book is great for little readers as early as three.
