Video: Reconnecting The Youth To History

STARKVILLE,Miss.(WCBI)—Dr.Martin Luther King Jr.dedicated his life to the nonviolent struggle for racial equality in the United States.

For a lot of young people there is a large generation gap between the present, Dr. King and the civil rights movement.

It was the greatest mass movement in modern American history, black demonstrations moved across the country seeking equality at every level but that was more than 50 years ago.

” That generation is a hit or miss, you know, it’s hard to spark their interest and keep their interest,” said Starkville parent Jamila Taylor.

For the younger generations, the civil rights movement is just a chapter in the text book.

“What they learned they learn in the text book they don’t learn the valuable outside information from like grandparents parents who actually were involved in the civil rights movement. They don’t pick up books which have so much information about the civil rights movement,”said Starkville Public Library young adult librarian Heather Fair.

Fair says she encourages reading there’s so much to learn.

“You get that raw history I mean some authors are just raw and put the information out there they don’t try an cover it up Where as in the library you don’t have covered up information . Some of it’s fact some is opinion but at least you have the information,”said Fair.

Hidden figures is a movie set during the civil rights era about three African American women over coming adversity, Jamila Taylor is a parent, she is using this historic movie as a teaching tool.

“Just being able to utilize our youth, my daughter who is in high school, 10th grade and some of her friend. They don’t typically get to hear about all the things African American women are doing in science or how we’ve been activists,”said Taylor.

The impact of Dr. King is still felt to this day and Fair says it’s only right to keep his memory alive for the younger generations.

” I love history, one. Number two I love black history and want to learn more about it. Dr. King has done so much for our society and what better way then to set up a display in his honor, so not only do you get one book but you have an assortment of books basically telling different things about Dr. King and something that you never knew,”said Fair.

Taylor says the goal is to make the youth interested in their heritage gain.

” We can utilize creative ways to get our young African Americans children to get to see the era of time that they’ve only read or heard about but just to continue to spark that interest,”said Taylor.

The Starkville Public Library will show movies on dedicated to African American history the entire month of February.

Dr. Martin Luther King’s official holiday is Monday.