Martin Luther King Memorial Bridges Generations

Two generations of African Americans—one approaching retirement, one approaching middle school—traveled by bus this week from Baltimore to visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial in Washington DC to celebrate Black History Month.

Although the two groups—adults from AARP Maryland’s Experience Corps and third-grade students from Liberty Elementary School in Baltimore—hail from vastly different generations, the very freedoms they both share were just a dream nearly five decades ago when King delivered his famous speech in Washington.

At the time, most of the AARP members involved in Thursday’s trip were just children themselves. So escorting a group of students to the memorial was, in part, a fulfillment of one portion of King's 1963 "I have a dream" speech:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

Winston Monk, a team leader in the volunteer program, was one of many attendees who experienced the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s first-hand.

"It was more special for me. I remember seeing water sprayed on those who marched with Martin Luther King," said Monk, a 63-year-old Owings Mills resident. "It's such a contrast now. Now we have an African-American president. It's a dream come true."

Despite drizzling rain, AARP leadership and members held an enthusiastic program at the memorial with the 45 students and four teachers from Liberty Elementary School in Baltimore City. The school participates in a tutoring and mentoring program with AARP Experience Corps, part of the nonprofit volunteer organization that represents Americans 50 and older. The AARP has another connection with the memorial: the group provided a $1 million donation for its construction.

Student Julian Wigfall said the visit to the memorial was inspiring. "It made me want to be more like Martin Luther King, to have fun and to do good things," he said.

Student Mya Williams, 9, said seeing the memorial made her "feel happy."

"I liked learning more about Dr. King," she said.

Lester Strong, vice president of AARP Experience Corps, said bringing older adults and children together around such a powerful theme is a rewarding experience for both groups.

"There's magic when you bring children together with older adults," Strong said. "Because so many of them have lived through the Civil Rights movement, for them to come with the children, brings this whole experience to life for them—and it brings Dr. King to life for them in a very real way."