My View: Remembering Dr. King and the movement for civil and human rights - Schools of Thought by Vicki Crawford,, Special to CNN Editorâs Note:Â Vicki CrawfordÂ holds a Ph.D. from Emory University in American Studies, concentrating in 20th century African-American studies.Â Crawford is the director of the Office of the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection, where she is developing campus-based programming in support of the collection. As we approach the 26th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. observance and reflect upon the recent opening and dedication of a national memorial in Kingâs honor, we should consider how we might engage a living legacy of the human rights leader that brings us closer to the democratic vision he soÂ passionately embraced.Â A first step is to commit ourselves to teaching and learning about the civil rights movement, one of the most transformative democratic freedom struggles of modern times. Often, inÂ schools and colleges around the nation,Â the movement is reduced to a few days of study and over-emphasis on a master narrative that is simplistic in its failure to interrogate theÂ many complexities and nuanced interactions among its leaders, participants and organizations.Â A recent study revealed that American students have very limited knowledge of this significant period in the nationâs history which continues to impact events around the globe. Students may recognize Kingâs âI have a Dream Speechâ and know about Rosa Parksâ refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, but few would recognize Kingâs important sermons and speeches delivered during the later years of his life. Would they comprehendÂ Kingâs courageous stand against the Vietnam War? What about his incisive critique of economic disparities which led him to rally to the cause of sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee?Â As educators, we have a responsibility to connect young people to our past; we must give themÂ knowledge, understanding and appreciation forÂ theÂ triumphs and failures of this period in American history. We should teach the movement with emphasis on both leaders and followers, and include the often neglected, but indispensible contributions of women. Also, we should point out how children and young people were pivotal to societal change, especially college students and others who were active in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. We honor Dr. King best when we commit to education for social change. As educators, we should initiate a national conversation on teaching and learning civil rights history that would enable us to address the commonalities and differencesÂ between the movement of the â50s and â60s and todayâs global struggles for democracy. To be sure, this conversation would help us in our quest to engage students in deep thinking about what King called the triple evils of poverty, racism and militarism. At Morehouse College, Dr. Kingâs alma mater, we advance the teachings and nonviolent philosophy of Dr. King through a number of curricular and co-curricular initiatives. As custodian to more than 13,000 original documents from Kingâs personal library, we provide a wealth of opportunities for students to engage civil rights history, in general, and learn about Dr. King, more specifically. Our partnership with middle and secondary schools continues to grow, while our summer institute provides an opportunity to reach the next generation of future leaders. Education for the 21st century must equip students to embrace the âchallenge of change.â Teaching and learning about the most transformative movement in the nationâs modern era is a powerful tool to be resourced. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Vicki Crawford.