Gage Park High School Students stand around the civil rights memorial kiosk they created in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The project will be housed at Marquette Park. Pictured, from left, are Jason Lee, Jasmine Lee, Michael Brown (rear), Jasmine Pa
After finding out just how much their peers didn’t know about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his involvement in the equal housing marches of 1966, a few Gage Park High School students decide to take action.
The students chose to construct a civil rights memorial as part of a civics project in order to address the lack of knowledge their counterparts had on King’s involvement in the Gage Park and nearby Marquette Park communities.
The students were able to research the marches, design a memorial, and lobby elected officials to support the creation of a memorial with the assistance and support of their principal, Anita Andrews. The students unveiled the fruits of their labor last week during a special ceremony where they unveiled a civil rights memorial in honor of King and his local work.
The sanctioned civil rights memorial entitled A Community Transformed: The Legacy of Dr. King and the Marches of 1966 was dedicated on June 11 at the Marquette Park Field House, 6734 S. Kedzie Ave. The students worked with George Burciaga, CEO of SmarTechs and together they provided a way for the students to build the memorial.
The students put together oral history interviews, rare color photographs of King’s time in Chicago and footage of the marches, all added to a touch-screen kiosk donated by SmarTechs. Civil rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson – who worked with Dr. King – along with other elected officials attended the unveiling.
Copyright 2010 Chicago Defender.
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