​Did you know your state’s Department of Education wants students to learn why we celebrate Thanksgiving?

Yes, let’s talk about what should be taught at Thanksgiving.

Teachers must understand that their state’s education department expects students to know why Thanksgiving is celebrated. Every state lists it in its academic standards. Do you know why we celebrate Thanksgiving? It’s a holiday established by our government. That’s right! And the President asks us all to thank God on that day.

There is a common misconception that teaching about the Bible and Christianity is not allowed in public school classrooms because of concerns over the establishment of religion. As The Bible in State Academic Standards shows, quite to the contrary, state academic standards across the nation provide ample opportunity for educators to teach about the Bible, Christian beliefs, and Christians who were influential in history. For example, California sixth graders are expected to:

“Note the origins of Christianity in the Jewish Messianic prophecies, the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as described in the New Testament, and the contribution of St. Paul the Apostle to the definition and spread of Christian beliefs (e.g., belief in the Trinity, resurrection, salvation).” (Standard 6.7.6, adopted in 1998 and reaffirmed in 2005)

You will be amazed at how much your state’s academic standards expect students to know about America’s Christian heritage. And many teachers don’t even know it. For a free copy of our research on your state’s standards, visit https://gogateways.org/standards​

Thanksgiving Prayers
Thanksgiving is a special time to express gratitude and reflect on the blessings in our lives.
Here are six Thanksgiving prayers:

The Grateful Heart Prayer:
   Dear Heavenly Father,
   We gather today with hearts full of gratitude.
   Thank you for the food on our table and the love in our hearts.
   May we always remember the importance of thankfulness.
   Amen.

The Abundance Prayer:
   Dear Lord,
   We are thankful for the abundance that surrounds us.
   Help us share our blessings with those in need.
   May our hearts be generous and our actions reflect your love.
   Amen.

The Blessing of Friendship Prayer:
   Dear God,
   Thank you for the friends and family who gather around us.
   Bless our friendships, and help us cherish the moments we share.
   May we always be a source of support and love for one another.
   Amen.

The Unity Prayer:
   Heavenly Father,
   On this Thanksgiving, we come together as one community.
   Guide us to understand and respect our differences.
   Help us find unity in our diversity, and may peace and love prevail.
   Amen.

The Prayer of Peace:
   Dear God,
   As we gather to give thanks, we also pray for peace.
   In a world often filled with strife and conflict,
   May the spirit of Thanksgiving remind us of the importance of harmony.
   Grant us the wisdom to seek understanding and the courage to promote peace.
   May our hearts be a sanctuary of serenity, and our actions be a testament to your loving grace.
   Amen.

The Harvest of Love Prayer:
   Dear God, Creator of all,
   As we celebrate Thanksgiving, help us remember the harvest of love.
   Bless the hands that prepared this meal, and the hearts that share it.
   May love and kindness fill our school and homes.
   Amen.

Feel free to share these prayers during your Thanksgiving celebrations in public schools to foster a sense of gratitude, love, unity, and peace among kids and parents.

Halloween has become a more elaborate celebration, with spooky decorations and fancier costumes. While many enjoy the festivities, some feel that this evolution has introduced elements that are at odds with their Christian faith. Explaining Halloween to Christian kids means addressing these changes and potential negative influences while finding an opportunity to teach biblical values.

Empowering Faith: Halloween can be spooky, but it's also an opportunity to teach children an essential life lesson—overcoming fear. We can remind our kids that God is always on our side. He loves us deeply and wants to know us on a personal level. By facing the scarier aspects of Halloween with faith, we can show our children that just as God's love casts out fear, we too can rise above fear through our unwavering trust in Him. It's essential to remind Christian kids that their faith in Jesus teaches them not to be afraid of evil spirits or the darker aspects of Halloween. It's written that "he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4), emphasizing the strength of faith. Additionally, when Jesus encountered a man possessed by a legion of demons (Luke 8:26-39), Jesus cast out these evil spirits, demonstrating His authority over them. This shows that just as Jesus had power over evil spirits, our kids can find comfort in their faith and the knowledge that they are protected by God's love. 

It's a valuable lesson that extends beyond Halloween, helping our children navigate challenges in life with the confidence that they are never alone, and that God's love is a constant source of strength and comfort. Halloween, in this context, becomes a unique opportunity to reinforce the profound truth of God's love and His presence in our lives. 

More than that, kids can share the goodness of God with their friends, emphasizing that God is bigger than evil spirits, and His love and protection are always with us. It's an inspiring message to spread, especially during the Halloween season, when fear and fascination with the unknown are prevalent.

Understanding the History: To begin the discussion, it's important to provide children with a brief history of Halloween. Explain that Halloween, originally called All Hallows' Eve, has its roots in ancient Celtic and Christian traditions. It falls on October 31st, the evening before All Saints' Day, a Christian holiday. 

Choosing Appropriate Costumes: Encourage kids to select Halloween costumes that are wholesome and in line with their faith. Dressing as favorite Bible characters, angels, or historical figures known for their good deeds allows them to participate in the festivities while reinforcing positive values.

Negative Spiritual Influences: Halloween can sometimes incorporate elements that conflict with Christian beliefs, such as glorification of darkness, occult themes, and excessive focus on fear and death. It's important for children to be aware of these influences, so they can make informed choices about the activities they participate in and the decorations they use. Parents can guide their children to avoid excessively dark or occult-themed decorations and costumes, focusing instead on those that celebrate positive aspects of the holiday. Explain to your kids that this is the reason why some people no longer want to participate celebrating Halloween. It's also why some churches have trunk or treat events in the church parking lot to control some of the darkness. 

Alternative Celebrations: Some Christian families choose to celebrate Halloween differently. They might organize a "Harvest Festival" or "Fall Fun Day" at their church or within their community. These events provide a safe and faith-based environment for kids to enjoy games, activities, and treats, without the potentially negative influences.

Prayer and Reflection: Encourage kids to spend a moment in prayer or reflection before Halloween activities. This can be a time to express gratitude for family and friends and ask for guidance to make good choices during the holiday.

Emphasizing Values: Use Halloween as an opportunity to reinforce Christian values. Talk to kids about kindness, respect, and the importance of sharing. Emphasize the joy of giving treats and the idea of loving one's neighbor, values that align with Christian teachings.

Balancing Fun and Faith: Ultimately, discussing potential negative spiritual influences with children and guiding them to make choices that align with their faith, Christian parents can help their kids celebrate Halloween in a way that is consistent with their Belief.

Blessings,


Ingrid DeDecker

moms.partnerwithschools.org

partnerwithschools.org

dedecker@partnerwithschools.org​s Halloween a Unique Opportunity to Teach about Fear and God's Protection?

Why not make the most out of these last weeks of summer vacation.

Here are some Summer Activities for Christian Elementary School Kids 

Summer is a wonderful time for children to explore, have fun, and create lasting memories. For Christian elementary school kids who attend public schools, this season presents an opportunity to reinforce their faith and Christian identity outside of their regular academic routine. Let's delve into a variety of engaging summer activities that can help strengthen their faith while providing a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.

Scripture Memorization Challenges
Engaging kids in scripture memorization challenges during the summer can be an effective way to reinforce their faith. Parents or Sunday school teachers can create a weekly or monthly challenge where children are encouraged to memorize selected Bible verses. This activity not only helps kids internalize God's Word but also boosts their confidence and strengthens their Christian identity. Your kids are exposed to a non-Christian worldview in public school every day so instilling a Christian identity is one of the best steps you can take to protect your kids from gender ideology and gender confusion.

Family Devotion Time 
Summer break offers a valuable opportunity for families to spend quality time together. Establishing a regular family devotion time can be an impactful way to reinforce a child's faith and Christian identity. Families can gather to read the Bible, discuss its teachings, pray together, and reflect on how God is working in their lives. This practice strengthens family bonds while nurturing a strong spiritual foundation.

Service Projects 
Engaging in service projects is a wonderful way to instill Christian values in children and reinforce their faith. Organize activities like volunteering at a local shelter, cleaning up a neighborhood park, or collecting donations for a charitable cause. These experiences teach children the importance of loving others as Jesus taught and provide practical examples of putting their faith into action.

Christian Literature and Media
Encouraging children to read Christian books, watch faith-based movies, or listen to Christian music during the summer can help reinforce their faith and Christian identity. Provide age-appropriate literature and media that align with their interests, ensuring they engage with content that promotes biblical values and teachings.

Church Youth Group 
For older elementary school kids, participating in a church youth group can be an excellent way to reinforce their faith and Christian identity during the summer. These groups often organize social activities, Bible studies, and community service projects specifically designed for their age group. Youth groups foster friendships, provide mentorship, and create a supportive environment where kids can grow spiritually.

Summer activities play a vital role in reinforcing the faith and Christian identity of elementary school kids attending public schools. By actively participating in Vacation Bible School, Christian summer camps, scripture memorization challenges, family devotion time, service projects, engaging with Christian literature and media, and joining church youth groups, children can experience a transformative summer that strengthens their faith, deepens their understanding of Christianity, and nurtures their Christian identity. Let this summer be a season of growth, learning, and joyful experiences as our children embrace their faith and their identity in Christ.

Blessings,
Ingrid DeDecker
moms.partnerwithschools.org
partnerwithschools.org
dedecker@partnerwithschools.org

Can public school students hand out Christian Valentines?

Can they talk about the love of God on Valentine’s day in a class discussion?

What about wearing a T-shirt with a Christian message?

Or mentioning God in an assignment? 

Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes. 

All of those instances are covered by the Free Speech Clause. Students are allowed to talk about their faith in school. It’s their constitutional right.  

Many parents and students get student rights confused with teacher rights. Only teachers’ rights are restricted and can violate the Establishment clause, which means that teachers are not allowed to try to officially establish religion in schools. However teachers can answer students questions about God or participate in a class discussion which was initiated by a student. Teachers can even pray among themselves and have bible studies with other Christian teachers inside schools.

Students, and by extension parents, are not in a position of authority, and therefore can never violate the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause. Therefore they can freely talk about God and their faith. Students have only one restriction: they cannot disturb the class. For example, a student can freely bring up God’s perspective during a class discussion or assignment. But a student cannot stand up and start preaching in the middle of math class. Whenever there’s an appropriate time in class to bring up their opinion, students can also share their faith. 

By the way, even though teachers are not allowed to officially establish religion in schools they are equally not allowed to establish non-religion such as atheism in schools. Often teachers think that acting and talking as if God does not exist is the politically correct way, however that stance also violates the establishment clause; in fact just as much as if they would have talked about God. It’s just that Christians don’t complain about that one as much as atheists complain about any reference to God.

Here you’ll find some free Christian Valentines:

Busybooksandmore has some pretty Printables. Scroll down and you'll find pages listed.
Page 3 to 9 are good.
Notconsumed has Valentine's Basket Printables
The Oriental Trading Company has some Christian ones for sale.
Moneywisesteward has a simple 8x11Printable
Faithfilledfoodformoms has scripture verse hearts
Father's Love Letter for kids is a nice printout too. 
https://www.fathersloveletter.com/kids-fll.html
Why not show your kids the Father’s Love Letter video here:
https://www.fathersloveletter.com/hd-video.html

Hopefully you and your kids are getting used to the early schedules now that schools started up again.

But will you get used to the incessant anti-Christian brainwashing which is going on in our public schools? 

Do you wish you could shield and inoculate your kids against that?

You know something is not right when the National School Board Association calls concerned parents "domestic terrorists”; all for just speaking up at school board meetings requesting equal free speech rights. 

Who would have guessed that the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network is actually writing lesson plans for our schools right down to elementary schools. Yes it's true, our National Elementary School Principles Association collaborates with the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education network to write lesson plans for our kids. 

Not only that, they find teachers who are supportive of the LGBTQ agenda and they heavily bolster them up and encourage them into pushing this agenda on our kids.

They also provide policies to schools, so schools will adopt their agenda.

Are you watching out for the rainbow clubs? These are the elementary school versions of the Gender and Sexuality clubs in middle and high schools. Pretty much every middle and high school by now has a gender and sexuality alliance (GSA) club where kids are heavily indoctrinated.  

But the biggest problem really is the up to 70 hours of teaching in the classrooms about pro LGBTQ issues throughout the school year which also take away from teaching math, science and English. And no, that teaching is not limited to middle and high schools. it's taught in elementary schools as well.

Combine all that with the traditional teaching on evolution and textbooks being rewritten to change our history and eliminate our Christian foundations;  that is the very reason why your kids need you to set this straight. And they also need you to help them find Christian friends to protect them from this.

Here are the five steps.

1.Teach Christian Identity Bible verses. Hiding God's word in their hearts Will be a blessing for them throughout their lives as God can we call these verses as needed. It will also establish their Christian identity and calling which is irreversible.

2. Watch your school and what is taught. Then proactively teach the truth instead.

3. Monitor friends. You'd think that they don't need Christian friends in elementary schools because there's no bad influence in terms of music or lifestyle. But the problem is they will keep those friends in middle and high school. And even in elementary schools there is quite some influence.

4. Control electronics; some parents will delay elementary school kids from getting phones so they won't be exposed to social pressure.

5. Start a friend group with Christian kids. This is the most important step you can take. You can accomplish all the above steps in one swoop inside that group.

I just finished a 52 minute video which explains every step in detail and it also explains exactly what's going on about gender identity in our schools. 

After watching that class you will be fully informed. You will also be fully equipped to help and shield your child from the brunt of it.

Here is the link. 

https://go.partnerwithschools.org/the-flagship-framework-funnel4809r8uo

Thank you for watching.

Blessings to you and yours,

Ingrid DeDecker
Director
Partner with Schools
partnerwithschools.org
dedecker@partnerwithschools.org
​

Are your kids ready to go back to school?  
What will you do to help them stay strong in the faith at a school where an anti christian agenda prevails?  Can you do anything to help your kids? Actually you can. Help  them find other Christian kids to befriend.  It's  difficult to change  the entire school climate but you can surround  your kids with like minded other kids. Sure, in elementary school it doesn't seem  so  important. After all you don't have  to watch out for worldly music, provocative clothing or vaping. The problem is that they will keep those friends, and sooner or later the  non-christian  friends  will be  a negative influence.  If not in the later elementary school years  then definitely in middle  school.  

How can you help your kids find Christian friends?  
First  of all, you need to inform your student  of his/her rights. Did you know that students can bring up God in class discussions? Teachers are not allowed to do that because they would violate the Establishment  Clause which states that schools cannot try to establish religion. However students are  in no such position of authority to  where they could violate the Establishment  Clause, so this clause does not apply to students, nor parents. More than that, students  are protected by the Free Speech Clause which allows them free speech including their religious beliefs.  They can  do that in class, or in assignments, talent shows  or science projects. When your student realizes his/her rights to freely express their faith they will find other  kids doing the same and learn to see which kids are  Christian. 

​Why not form a  small group of Christian friends?  
Granted, that might be easier  for high schoolers than for elementary school kids. That's where the moms come in. One effective way is to  just start a Christian club. Parents have the right to start a
Christian club as long as there are other clubs such as  scouts, art,  or cheerleading activities offered in the  school.  You can even mention it on  the school website or send out flyers to all the kids.  But check with the school office first to see if there is not  a  club already in existance which  your child can just join. Some schools have Christian Fellowship clubs even in elementary schools, or  Good  News Clubs. However if  there's  no such club  it's easy to start  one and will benefit your  child greatly. 

​What  about middle and high schoolers?     
Most high schools already have christian clubs and it's of utmost importance that your  kids surround themselves with other Christians. My own daughter was very strong in her faith in her Christian school but when she transferred to public high school she lost her faith in 3 months and became an atheist. The  school climate in public schools are  mostly antichristian and students can easily lose their faith if they are not in fellowship with other Christian students.

Prayer for students and teachers.  
Churches nationwide pray for students and teachers as they go back to school.  Following points  are often brought up to our heavenly Father:

• safety for teachers and students
• wisdom for teachers as representatives of God in public schools
• protection of Christian students from bad  influences
• discernment in  finding good Christian friends
• courage for students to use their free speech rights to express their faith
• motivation to start  or attend  Christian clubs at school

Moms in Prayer  
Check with your school office to find out if there is a Moms in Prager group at your school.  
You can also check online at Moms in Prayer 

It's an excellent way to meet other moms and help your  kids find good friends. Moms in Prayer is also an excellent witness at the school and makes an enormous impact on  schools and students. Nothing is as powerful as prayer. 

For more information on all of this be sure to get my book:  Bring the Light to School: How You can empower Christian students and bring Hope to K-12  (and I'd  love a good star review if you like it)

Chicago Public Schools' top doctor Kenneth Fox has been a pediatrician for 30 years. As Chicago schools move to make condoms available to students in the name of "prevention," Dr. Fox is leading the way. According to an article in the Chicago Sun Times, Fox believes, "Young people have the right to accurate and clear information to make healthy decisions. And they need access to resources to protect their health and the health of others as they act on those decisions."

On the right to accurate and clear information for "young people" to make healthy decisions, we agree. We would strongly disagree, however, that distributing condoms in schools is a "resource to protect their health." The healthiest sexual "context" is in marriage been a man and a woman. Children are not able to consent to sex at the age of 10 or 11 in 5th grade. Making condoms available to children at that age is the opposite of a "healthy decision." It may even facilitate the exploitation of children.

Efforts like these in Chicago Public Schools are a hallmark of Comprehensive Sexuality Education. Scout Bratt of the Chicago Women's Health Center said as much, "The idea is to say we are educational centers, we are community health centers essentially, and we know to invest in young folks' health and well-being by providing comprehensive sex ed, it means we also need to provide the resources." For those of us who want to protect children's innocence and honor parental rights, the tendency to view schools as access points to children or vehicles for the delivery of "social services" is a problem. Schools are institutions for learning, not "community health centers."

When adults make policies about protecting children that involve giving condoms or other contraceptives to students at school (meaning outside parental supervision), one has to wonder, who actually benefits? It is never beneficial for a 10-year-old to be sexually active. The very suggestion that prepubertal children have sexual agency is disturbingly repugnant. Children do not have a "right" to have sex. Children are not sex objects and can never meaningfully consent to sexual acts. Adults cannot claim these false rights for children -- and adults who try must at the very least be viewed with suspicion. If the justification for giving condoms to children is a problem with sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy in that age cohort, why are adults in Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Department of Public Health expecting children to solve that problem? Why wouldn't adults intervene in the life of that child to find out why a 10-year-old boy or girl thinks they need a condom? What is happening in that child's life that leads them to need access to contraceptives? The appropriate "resource" for children in this situation is not simply "health care" but law enforcement and the protection of adults.

FRC's Mary Szoch explains, "Family Research Council opposes exposing children (or anyone) to explicit material, encouraging children in any way to have sex or commit sexual acts, and creating a hypersexualized culture that will certainly have damaging long-term consequences for children. Family Research Council believes our culture should promote the virtue of chastity and teach that the appropriate context for sexual intimacy is in a loving marital union between a man and a woman. When fifth graders are at school, they should be learning American history, practicing multiplying fractions, performing experiments that demonstrate how the water cycle works, and reading literature that expands their minds and teaches moral truths. No part of fifth grade curriculum should involve access to condoms and the promotion of sexual activity, which obviously is exploitation of minors."
Thank you, Mary! I couldn't agree more. Parents in Chicago Public Schools must oppose this program and protect their children. And they must demand public officials who also protect children.

To report an issue at your public schools, contact FRC through our tip line: tipline@frc.org.
​
To learn more about  Student and Parent rights in public schools check out this book: Bring the Light to School: How to Empower Christian Students and bring Hope to K-12: 

April 28, 2021 BY MATTHEW VADUM
 
The Biden administration and a Pennsylvania school district urged a skeptical Supreme Court to let school districts suppress free speech by students on social media if they deem it potentially disruptive to school operations.

The case, Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., court file 20-255, was heard April 28.

The Biden administration was represented in a 112-minute telephonic hearing by Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm L. Stewart.

The petitioner, the school district in Mahanoy City, Pennsylvania, was represented by Lisa S. Blatt. The student involved in the case, known in court documents as B.L., was represented by David D. Cole, the national legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union. B.L., or Brandi Levy, was a minor at the time the lawsuit was initiated and legal files reduced her name to initials to protect her identity.

In 2017, when Levy was 14 and a freshman, she made the Mahanoy Area High School junior varsity cheerleading team, but as a sophomore, she failed to advance to the varsity squad, remaining on junior varsity, according to the district’s petition.

On a Saturday when she wasn’t present at school, she visited Snapchat, where messages automatically disappear after 24 hours. She posted a photograph of herself and a friend, middle fingers extended, alongside the caption, “[Expletive] school [expletive] softball [expletive] cheer [expletive] everything.”

A screenshot of the message made it to students and teachers. Levy’s coaches suspended her from the cheerleading team for a year.

The legal issue is whether the Supreme Court’s 1969 ruling in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District applies to student speech that occurs off-campus. Long before the internet became part of Americans’ everyday lives, the court held that public school officials may “prescribe and control conduct in the schools” and discipline primary- and secondary-school students for speech that “would materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school.”

Some say Tinker is outdated.

Applying the precedent “results in the erosion of parents’ rights to direct the upbringing of their children, undermines the role of law enforcement, and encourages a culture of snitching and the heckler’s veto which is deeply contrary to First Amendment values,” the Pacific Legal Foundation, Cato Institute, and author P.J. O’Rourke argued in a friend-of-the-court brief.

“This Court should retire the Tinker test in favor of a rule that permits schools to regulate student speech only when the speech occurs in a place or during a time controlled and supervised by school staff, and only when necessary to address objective disruption of the learning environment.”
Levy sued, and both the U.S. district court and a majority of judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit held the suspension violated the First Amendment. The 3rd Circuit found that “Tinker does not apply to off-campus speech—that is, speech that is outside school-owned, -operated, or -supervised channels and that is not reasonably interpreted as bearing the school’s imprimatur.”
But during oral arguments, Blatt said the Tinker ruling should apply off-campus because “speech can cause on-campus disruption.”

“Tinker applies off-campus only when the student targets both a school audience and a school topic, and more broadly, this court can clarify Tinker’s reach both on-and off-campus.”

Chief Justice John Roberts asked what happens if a student is carrying a sign off-campus that says he or she doesn’t approve a school bond funding referendum.

Blatt said such speech couldn’t be regulated by the school because it isn’t directed to a school audience and it’s not a school topic.

Justice Stephen Breyer said B.L. used “unattractive swear words off-campus. Did that cause a material and substantial disruption? I don’t see much evidence it did. And if swearing off-campus did, I mean, my goodness, every school in the country would be doing nothing but punishing. And it certainly didn’t … disrupt others. It didn’t hurt others … as far as I can see in the record.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor implied swearing may be difficult to regulate because it’s popular among young people. “I’m told by my law clerks that among certain populations—a certain large percentage of the population—how much you curse is a badge of honor. That would surprise many parents.”
​
Justice Brett Kavanaugh told Blatt that B.L.’s punishment didn’t seem “tailored to the offense.”
“A year suspension from the team just seems excessive to me,” the justice said.

Stewart criticized the 3rd Circuit’s ruling, saying it would allow B.L. to send out messages on social media “from her home every evening disparaging the coaches, her teammates, and the enterprise of cheerleading. Such messages from a member of the squad would have an evident tendency to disrupt the functioning of a school program that depends on and is intended to instill values of team-building and mutual support.”

Cole argued the reach of the Tinker ruling shouldn’t be expanded.
“At its core, the First Amendment prohibits content discrimination. Its bedrock principle is that a speaker can’t be punished because listeners object to his message.”

The Tinker decision “is limited to school-sanctioned settings,” Cole said. “This court’s ‘school speech’ cases are called that for a reason. The authority they recognize is justified by and limited to the special characteristics of the school environment.”

“Expanding Tinker would transform a limited exception to it into a 24/7 rule that would upend the First Amendment’s bedrock principle and would require students to effectively carry the schoolhouse on their backs in terms of speech rights everywhere they go.

“It would also directly interfere with parents’ fundamental rights to raise their children.”
Breyer suggested to Cole they were treading on shaky constitutional ground.
“I’m frightened to death of writing a standard,” the justice said.
“Tinker, after all, doesn’t really write a standard. It just says you can’t regulate school speech unless it substantially disrupts or hurts somebody else.”

Cole said it was a bad idea to allow a school to punish anything it calls “disruption … even if it occurs on the weekend.”

“That’s a very, very dangerous proposition in terms of young people’s free speech, and the court should be very clear, as the Third Circuit was.”

He only flew to Seattle once. It was early November of 1961 -- two years before the young civil rights leader would give one of the most famous speeches in history. At just 32, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. hadn't won his Nobel prize or written his letter from a Birmingham jail, but word of the influential pastor had spread. Out west, thousands of miles away from the powder keg of boycotts and unrest, things may have been calmer, but plenty of people were still hostile to King's message. They thought it was too radical, too revolutionary. So, they did what the forces of bitter intolerance have perfected today: they canceled him.

Reverend Samuel McKinney still remembers the moment First Presbyterian called the event off. Sure, he would tell his friends at the time, the racism in Seattle was nothing like the Deep South -- but "it wasn't the promised land" either. While a lot of African Americans were moving west to escape the tension, McKinney knew, "It's the same here as anywhere else. The difference is the matter of degree." People in the area needed a voice of reason and conviction -- someone who would send "the right message to Seattle at the right time." McKinney and King had been good friends in college -- both the sons of preachers who'd vowed to escape the "hot air" of ministry, both who ended up behind a pulpit anyway.

"A lot of people [in Seattle] had never seen him and wanted to hear him. We wanted him to come in and address us here. And he agreed." While McKinney thought the visit might be controversial, nothing prepared him for the firestorm that followed. He remembers watching, horrified, as angry protestors threw garbage cans through his windows and smeared excrement across the glass. He tried to explain to his daughter that kids on the bus didn't mean it when they said, "I hear they're going to kill your daddy." When another prominent black activist in the area was shot, he worried that reaching out to Dr. King had been a horrible mistake. After some sleepless nights, he resolved to move forward. "One of the ways some forces function is that they put fear into you. You back off, and they have won."
Years later, McKinney would write about that agonizing time, "There are certain calls in your life that you cannot reject or ignore. There's a price to pay, but you go on and pay it. You can ask the Lord to give you the strength to make it, and He did... That's when your faith kicks in."

He wrote to Dr. King, warning him that tempers in the city had flared. Still, McKinney assured him, "We have worked exceedingly hard to gain citywide support for your first visit to the Pacific Northwest, and that support is guaranteed now more than ever." So was public interest. In fact, the trip piqued so much interest that McKinney struggled to find a place that could contain the crowds. That's when they settled on First Presbyterian, "a great barnlike building that could hold some 3,000 people."

Two weeks before Dr. King arrived, the church abruptly called the event off. They blamed the last-minute cancelation on construction work and other excusesMcKinney didn't believe. And while he tried to appeal to the church's leaders to change their mind, First Presbyterian refused. In a fiery exchange with their attorney, McKinney said, "Dr. King will be in town, he will speak. And I think I ought to let you know -- this is not a threat -- but we are going to tell the world about what happened."
He was right. News stories started to break about the controversy, and suddenly a string of other venues came forward, offering to host the young King. "His was a voice that needed to be heard," McKinney wrote later. "We were going through some difficult times. You had the feeling that you knew you were doing the right thing, and somebody had to stand up for it."

The trip turned out to be King's only venture out west -- and the last time he would travel alone. Threats on his life were starting to rise to the level that other civil rights leaders in the movement considered truly dangerous. He made the trek anyway. From the moment he touched down, it was clear that his time in Washington would be remembered -- not for one side's early attempt at deplatforming -- but for the profound impact it would have on the nation. Some of the civil rights leader's greatest lines, ones that the world would later hear echo across the National Mall, were first uttered to crowds in Portland and Seattle. It was the trip, people now say, that started his "I Have a Dream" speech.

"However much America strays from it, the goal of America is freedom," he urged. "We are going to win our freedom," he insisted, "because both the sacred heritage of our nation and the eternal will of Almighty God are embodied in our echoing demand. And so I can still sing, 'We shall overcome'... because the universe bends toward justice... With this hope, we will be able to hew out of a mounting despair the stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood."

Sixty years later, the country he loved is back in tatters, facing an uncertain future. If Dr. King were here, maybe he would tell us what he told them: "We must learn to live together as brothers -- or perish as fools." If democracy is to live, he warned, "segregation must die." Today, that segregation takes many forms -- segregation on the basis of race, segregation on the basis of beliefs, segregation on the basis of religion. That's not the America in Dr. King's dream. His nation, the one he gave his life for, was about tearing down barriers -- not putting them up. Imagine his dismay that more than a half-century later, what we are tearing down is each other.

But, as Dr. King liked to say, "the time is always ripe to do what is right." Reverend McKinney would remember those words 37 years later when he got a letter from the new pastor at First Presbyterian Church. It was an apology for what had happened all those decades ago. McKinney was shocked. "I never expected this to happen," he told the new pastor on the phone. It was 1998 -- years after Dr. King's assassination -- and yet this young minister still wanted to set things right. "He felt if he could do something to heal that rift," McKinney remembered, "he would do it."
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And maybe that's where Dr. King's legacy would point us today. Too often, he would say, the church is "an echo rather than a voice. A taillight instead of a headlight." The time to lead is now. If there's division, let us be the people that heal it. If there's a way to move the country forward, let's be the people that find it.

This is a reprint of the Tony Perkins blog from the Family Research Council
https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA21A32&f=WU21A10
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