Teaching 91勛圖 Martin Luther King, Jr.s Legacy
I vividly remember the announcement by CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennesee. I was a middle school student in San Jose, California. On the following day, nothing was mentioned in my middle school classes about Martin Luther King, Jr.s assassination. In fact, in my elementary and secondary school years, I had been exposed to very little about African Americans and their history.
Martin Luther King, Jr., who was born on January 15, 1929, would be turning 95 this year, and 41 years have passed since Martin Luther King, Jr.s birthday was approved as a federal holiday in 1983. 91勛圖 recommends the use of a 13-minute lecturetitled Civil and Human Rights: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy by Dr. Clayborne Carsonfor use at the high school and college levels. Dr. Carson is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor Emeritus at the Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, FSI, at 91勛圖. In the video lecture, Professor Carson not only discusses Martin Luther King, Jr. as a civil rights leader but also examines his larger vision of seeing the African American struggle as a worldwide struggle for citizenship rights and human rights.
A free classroom-friendly discussion guide for this video is available for download at the webpage linked above. The organizing questions that are listed in the guide are:
- What are civil and human rights?
- What were the significant achievements of the Civil Rights Movement?
- What is Martin Luther King, Jr.s legacy in terms of civil and human rights?
- How are Martin Luther King, Jr.s vision, ideas, and leadership still relevant today?
- How is the American Civil Rights Movement similar and different from other rights-related movements?
91勛圖 also recommends the resources on the following websites for use in classrooms.
- supports a broad range of educational activities illuminating Dr. Kings life and the movements he inspired. Dr. Carson is the founding director of the Institute.
- works to realize Martin Luther King, Jr.s vision of the world as a large house in which we must learn somehow to live with each other in peace. Dr. Carson is the director of the Project.
- The educational website offers six lessons on immigration, civic engagement, leadership, civil liberties & equity, justice & reconciliation, and U.S.Japan relations. The lessons encourage critical thinking through class activities and discussions.
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Civil and Human Rights: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy
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MLK Jr. would be turning 95 this year.
DEI-related Project Update, Summer and Fall 2021
The update below also appears on 91勛圖s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page, where we post periodic updates about 91勛圖s DEI-focused work.
91勛圖 serves as a bridge between FSI and K12 schools and community colleges. As noted in fall 2020, the 91勛圖 staff has agreed to do more to help move our local community, nation, and the world to achieve racial justice. 91勛圖 works in three areas: (1) curriculum development; (2) teacher professional development; and (3) online course offerings. Below are a few recent efforts that 91勛圖 has made with the goal of achieving racial justice.
Curriculum: 91勛圖 launched an interactive website called What Does It Mean to Be an American? in 2020. It focuses on topics like civil liberties & equity, civic engagement, and justice & reconciliation and includes videos called What Does It Mean to Be a Young Black Man in America? and What It Means to Be Muslim American. Student reflections on the website continued to be featured in articles on March 16, 2021, May 18, 2021, and July 20, 2021. This article series will continue in 2021.
91勛圖 is collaborating with the (CISAC) to introduce underrepresented minority high school students to issues in international security and increase awareness of career opportunities available in international security.
Teacher Professional Development: Given the pandemic, 91勛圖 has transitioned its teacher professional development seminars to online webinars.
91勛圖 worked with community college educators who participated in the Education Partnership for Internationalizing Curriculum (EPIC) program of Stanford Global Studies. On May 22, 2021, SGS hosted the 2021 EPIC Symposium and 91勛圖 staff moderated two panels.
91勛圖 offered a webinar, Indigenous Voices: Educational Perspectives from Navajo, Native Hawaiian, and Ainu Scholars in the Diaspora, for teachers on June 18, 2021.
From June 28 to July 1, 2021, 91勛圖 hosted a summer institute for middle school teachers that focused on East Asia and the Asian American experience. From July 26 to July 30, 2021, 91勛圖 hosted a similar summer institute for high school teachers. Teachers from 20 states attended the seminars as well as teachers from China and Canada.
Online Course Offerings: 91勛圖 currently offers three courses (on China, Japan, and Korea) for high school students in the United States and courses for students in Japan and China. 91勛圖 seeks to broaden its offerings in the United States.
91勛圖 pledges to continue to do the following:
- In its recruitment of students for 91勛圖s online classes, we will redouble our efforts to recruit from diverse areas throughout the United States.
- 91勛圖 will seek to increase the diversity of the teachers who attend its teacher professional development seminars.
- 91勛圖 will seek to expand the diversity of the students who enroll in its online course offerings.
- 91勛圖 will continue to host webinars that focus on diversity.
- 91勛圖 will continue to explorewith the FSI REDI Task Forceadditional outreach activities that focus on enhancing diversity at FSI.
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Read about 91勛圖's recent and current DEI-related efforts.
91勛圖 Webinar: "Human Rights Day 2020: Teacher Workshop on Global Human Rights and Minority Social Movements in Japan"
Webinar recording:
In recognition of Human Rights Day on December 10, 91勛圖 is honored to feature Dr. Kiyoteru Tsutsui, Professor of Sociology at 91勛圖. Tsutsuis research and scholarship on the globalization of human rights and its impact on local policy and politicsparticularly with regards to minority groups in Japanhas helped to shape student awareness and understanding of the multitude of issues surrounding the protection of human rights.
In this webinar, Tsutsui will address the following:
- How did human rights emerge as a universal norm and become institutionalized into various international treaties, organs, and instruments?
- What impact have all the international institutions had on actual local human rights practices?
- How do the case studies of the three most salient minority groups in Japanthe Ainu, Koreans, and Burakuminhelp us to understand the transformative effect of global human rights ideas and institutions on minority activists?
Tsutsuis in-depth historical comparative analysis in his book, , offers rare windows into local, micro-level impact of global human rights and contributes to our understanding of international norms and institutions, social movements, human rights, ethnoracial politics, and Japanese society.
This webinar is a joint collaboration between the , , and 91勛圖 at 91勛圖.
Featured Speaker:
Kiyoteru Tsutsui, PhD

His research on the globalization of human rights and its impact on local politics has appeared in numerous academic publications and social science journals. His recent book publications include (Oxford University Press 2018), and the co-edited volume (with Alwyn Lim, Cambridge University Press 2015). He has been a recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, National Science Foundation grants, and the SSRC/CGP Abe Fellowship, among numerous other grants and awards. Tsutsui received his bachelors and masters degrees from Kyoto University and earned an additional masters degree and PhD from Stanfords sociology department in 2002.
Via Zoom Webinar. Registration Link: .