Why we named Rhys after Martin Luther King –5 ways to pay tribute

Last year, my little blog here had a grand old time using my picture clues to guess the name of biskie spawn #2.  Most of you thought we’d use the name, “Martin,” or “Luther,” but no so!  Of course, I had to go with the more elusive, King (with absolutely no reference whatsoever to royalty.  Pinky swear). =0)

We settled on Rhys King.  It was important to me to give my child a name that celebrated mine -and his- African-American heritage.

Dr. King is one of the most important and celebrated African-Americans who was a pillar of courage, strength and admirable faith.  We are honored to give Rhys a heritage and legacy through the power of naming.  The welsh name, “Rhys,” means passionate and fiery.  Dr. King was a faith-filled, passionate leader & risk-taker.

Rhys at the tender age of 14 months is a passionate, fiery, expressive, courageous, risk-taker in the manner of climbing book shelves and jumping off.  He is rightly named! =)

Today, on the day we set aside to honor and remember the legacy Dr. King left for us here are a few ways to remember the work he did at promoting equality for African-Americans and for those in the world struggling to have basic human rights.

1.  If you have never watched the Dr. Kings amazing “I have a Dream Speech,” start there!

2.  Listen to this powerful NPR, “This American Life,” episode, .about a little girl who was just told the story of Jesus being born on Christmastime.  The daughter notices a picture of Jesus on the cross and asks why he’s killed.  The little girl later asks about MLK Jr.”  Fascinating!

3.  Head on over to take this quiz to see how much you know about MLK? As for me, I passed with flying colors.

Just kidding.

4.  Dave & I have read through a few of King’s most important speeches in this book: A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings & Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. By: Martin Luther King & Edited By: James Washington and are in awe of his skillz! In fact, it was this book that made the hubs decide ‘King’ was a great moniker to bestow on our new lil’ ankle-biter.

5.  Lastly, you can join me as I share a Dr. King timeline (written by kids for kids), with my kiddos later today to help them begin to get a grasp of the importance of these historical events for our country.

-Are there any ways that you are planning to honor & celebrate Dr. King?

-I’d love to hear more ideas about how to help our kiddos be educated about the racial & ethnic history of the US.

-Any thoughts about any of the resources I’ve shared?  How did you do on the quiz? =)  (If you share, I will)!