Children honor Martin Luther King Jr. in Chattanooga

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Kids in Chattanooga took time to honor Martin Luther King Junior. They say it is important to recognize all the work he did.

With singing and dancing, children in Chattanooga put together a program at the Olivet Baptist Church to celebrate Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday.

Fifth grade student Izzi Mathew was one of the hosts for the event.

“I like celebrating his birthday. He fought for everyone to have freedom and for us to live in peace, so why not celebrate him you know,” Mathew said.

Nicole Coleman, an organizer for the program, says it is important for kids to get involved in issues they care about.

“We want them to understand that they have a voice in this world. We want them to understand that they can be a difference, that they can make a difference at the ages that they are,” Coleman said.

In addition to performances they also brought up how young people across the country have recently stood up to voice their opinions about different issues, including gun violence.

“Because they took the civil rights model and used that as a way to galvanize and organize for the purposes of social change,” Coleman said.

Organizers say they wanted to highlight that Martin Luther King Jr. cared about children.

“He has always cared about children and we want them to know that they can use what some of the things that he did and some of the things that he taught and they can use it to go forward in their communities, their schools, and in our world and be that difference,” Coleman said.

As for Mathews she says she’s thankful for everything Martin Luther King Jr. did.