WESTMINSTER — Exploration of diversity continued on Jan. 29 at Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, with Jack Pratt sharing his experience working with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Pratt explained how King was called to action in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 to lead the Civil Rights Movement. He then answered the children’s questions about segregation, boycotts, and race-relations in the southern states.
A major point in Pratt’s presentation was that King said “yes” to becoming the leader of the Civil Rights Movement when he could have said “no.”
“Dr. King had to get up every day for 13 years knowing that each day could be his last,” he told the children. “When he answered the call, his life changed forever.”
Pratt worked with King from 1963 until King’s assassination in 1968.
Pratt implored the children to have the courage that King had — to stand up for what is right, even though it isn’t easy. He talked about the success that has been achieved for equal rights in the United States, and about the work that still needs to be done, all according to a press release.
His closing advice to the children was this: “We all have dreams, and sometimes life asks you to do different things. If you answer the call, it might change your life — but it also might change the world.”
For more information on Kurn Hattin Homes for Children, visit www.kurnhattin.org.
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