Chicago Students Remember Dr. King

Nancy Harty Reporting

CHICAGO -- About 50 students and teachers from North Lawndale College Prep marched in the cold rain from the school to the site of an apartment building where Martin Luther King once lived.

The group wore white t-shirts that read 'save our schools' and black armbands to mark the 40th anniversary of King's assassination.

After walking a few blocks to the corner of 16th and Hamlin, the group placed 40 red and yellow roses on the ground - one for each year since King's assassination.

Nothing remains of the dilapidated building where King moved his family in 1966 to spotlight poor housing conditions for many African-Americans.

One student recited part of King's "I Have a Dream" speech, another read a Maya Angelou poem and one sang 'Amazing Grace'.

Peer mediators and members of the Student Peace Committee came up with the idea of the march, which took place before school began.

North Lawndale's Dean of Students John Horan says the march and ceremony are in keeping with the school's mission to promote peace.

He says "especially with the recent problems with so many children being killed, we thought it was important that instead of counting the dead children that we let young people have a voice around peace."

Students in the march say they use some of King's principles to mediate potentially violent situations.

Senior Cordoral Milliner says they've had more fights at school this year than he's ever seen before.

Horan says no North Lawndale students have been killed since the school opened.

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