“Martin Luther King loved this city, and it’s up to our generation to prove his faith in us.”
Kevin White’s obituary provides a short course in local history. His tenure (1968-1984) saw the development of, for example, Quincy Market.
It also included one of Boston’s most painful episodes, the busing crisis.
With the holiday Monday, we discussed Martin Luther King’s connection to Boston, as well as how, and why, our classroom would have looked differently before the city’s desegregation of schools.
And then we watched the beginning of the concert below. Now known as “the night James Brown saved Boston,” it features a short speech by Mayor White, four months into the job.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lZZ_FCn9PY
We only had time for the first two songs, alas. I don’t think any of the students had seen James Brown perform before; most didn’t recognize his name (although everyone knew “I Feel Good”). Teacher pro tip: if you want your kids to leave class in a better mood, end with a James Brown gig.