Kansas Citians honor MLK’s legacy through school murals. ‘Make an impact’
Inside Westside’s Primitivo Garcia Elementary School Monday, dozens of Kansas Citians twirled paint brushes against the walls.
“Be the change” and “belonging begins with us” read the words on a few of the 31 colorful scenes donning the walls.
One of the murals painted at this Martin Luther King Jr. Day event was a portrait of the civil rights activist himself. The quote, “No person has the right to rain on your dreams,” was painted beside him.
City Year Kansas City’s National Day of Service event sought to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy by putting his values of togetherness and service into practice. About 100 volunteers watched a few clips of Dr. King speaking before splitting up to beautify the school’s halls.
Day of service
It was, Mayor Quinton Lucas said in his address, an “exceptional” day of service.
“One thing that brings us together — one thing that Dr. King preached — was community over chaos,” Lucas said, standing at a podium in the elementary’s gym. “Y’all had a whole lot of choices of what to do today. What you did is came out for our community.”
Charlotte Bender and Gwendolyn Bauer, juniors in high school, were among those who joined the day of service. Bender’s mother, Kate Bender, is on the board of City Year and painted alongside them.
The pair attend Kansas City Public Schools and gave up a day off of school to come.
“It’s important to do things like this and give back to your community, especially on days like this when we’re celebrating MLK,” Bauer said.
“Sometimes the insides (of schools) aren’t the most cheerful place,” Bender added, holding a paintbrush.
A Martin Luther King Jr. Day event
Two students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City also gave up a free day: Montaye Wiseman and Albert Turner, members of the Men of Character Academy, or MoCA. The MoCA initiative trains students to be community leaders and connects them to service opportunities.
Asked what aspect of Dr. King’s legacy most inspired them, both said they appreciated his commitment to fighting for justice peacefully.
“Living in a predominantly violent city, it’s good to get around with some nonviolence,” Wisemen said. “People can see violence for face value and what it does for a city.”
City Year is a national organization with chapters in 29 cities.
The Kansas City chapter has been around for 10 years, placing AmeriCorps members into urban schools to mentor and tutor students. The organization’s goal is to keep students on track to graduate.
Each year, City Year partners with schools in the metro for its Day of Service.
“MLK Day, at City Year, we like to treat it as a day on rather than a day off,” said Jeff Shafer, senior vice president of City Year. “We think about Dr. King’s legacy and his legacy of service. We find the best way to represent his legacy is to serve on his holiday.”
Becky Behrens and Jeremy Davis, two volunteers on Monday, said they appreciate the work City Year does and were looking for a way to be involved.
They took turns painting a Cesar Chavez quote. In the mural, stick figures formed a circle. Off to the side, the words: “Together, all things are possible.”
“Especially in today’s time, it’s important to give back, make an impact,” Davis said. “Just trying to live out the legacy of Dr. King.”