Teaching Tolerance Magazine Commemorates 40th Anniversary of King's Death With Lesson...

Teaching Tolerance Magazine Commemorates 40th Anniversary of King's Death With
Lesson Plans and Special Essay by Congressman John Lewis

MONTGOMERY, Ala., Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In commemoration of the
upcoming 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s death, the Spring
2008 issue of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance magazine
includes a special teaching package about the civil rights leader and an
exclusive essay by Congressman John Lewis that examines King's legacy.

The issue, released today on King's birthday, includes a color poster for
classroom use that features a dramatic photo of King on one side and an
extended timeline of his life on the other. Rounding out the package are a
lesson plan insert with activities for all grades and Six Lessons from Jena, a
guide to help educators prevent hate crimes.

Lewis, who marched with King during the civil rights movement, considers the
progress made and the challenges that remain in "Reflections on a Dream
Deferred." One of the most courageous figures of the movement, Lewis helped
found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and participated in key
events of the era, including lunch counter sit-ins, the Freedom Rides of 1961
and the march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., in 1965.

Lewis writes that today, just as when King was assassinated on April 4, 1968,
our nation is engulfed in war abroad and consumed with violence and hate at
home.

"A culture of violence has sprung up among us that is gnawing at the soul of
our society, a culture which justifies brutality, torture and cruelty," writes
the 11-term Georgia congressman. "In 1968, we could not avoid the signs of
overt racism and hatred in our daily lives. Forty years later, we are still
reckoning with those same symbols of hate, whether through a noose hung on a
tree in Jena, La., or on a professor's door at Columbia University."

Lewis' essay and the latest issue of Teaching Tolerance can be read at
www.teachingtolerance.org.

Lewis says that while blacks, women and other minorities occupy leadership
positions believed impossible 40 years ago, progress must be made on other
fronts before King's dream of equality is fulfilled. Our nation, for instance,
spends too much on war and not enough on meeting basic human needs like health
care, he writes.

"Yes, we are closer, but we still have a great distance we must travel before
we build a Beloved Community, a nation and a world society at peace with
itself," Lewis writes.

The new issue of Teaching Tolerance also includes timely feature stories, each
with resource and classroom activity ideas:

- "Proceed with Caution" examines how simulations, a mainstay of classroom
teaching, might do as much harm as good by perpetuating stereotypes,
oversimplifying history and breeding conflict and trauma.

- "Opening Doors on the Border" explores an innovative program for migrant
parents and children that is making a difference in schools and student
success in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.

- "Does My Town Have a Racist Past?" shows students how to find out if their
town had exclusionary "sundown" policies, transforming a shameful history into
a rich opportunity to set the record straight.

- "Making Numbers Count" illustrates how teachers can bring math to life in
the classroom with lessons that show how numbers can be used to transform
people, politics and communities.

As in every issue, the popular "Teaching Tools" section reviews the best
multicultural books, films, posters and CDs available, and the "Activity
Exchange" provides classroom ideas for early, middle and upper grades. "Story
Corner," especially designed for younger students, provides a rich,
entertaining fable illustrating a lesson in diversity.

Teaching Tolerance magazine, published twice a year by the Southern Poverty
Law Center, is the nation's leading journal serving educators on diversity
issues. In 2007, the magazine was named Periodical of the Year by the
Association of Educational Publishers for the second consecutive year. The
current issue is being sent free to more than 400,000 school professionals
across the country.

SOURCE Southern Poverty Law Center

Rod Davis of the Southern Poverty Law Center, +1-334-956-8445