Martin Luther King and the Ongoing Struggle for Black Liberation
A Workshop in Celebration of Martin Luther King Day
Goals:
● To gain a shared understanding of Civil Rights history and the legacy of Martin Luther
King Jr.
● To gain a shared understanding of the continuation of anti-Black racism in the U.S.
● To increase our understanding of how black liberation struggles have shaped--and
continue to shape--this country.
● To commit to action steps, as individuals and as a group
Time: 90 minutes
Materials needed:
● MLK/Civil rights slideshow (powerpoint)
● Projector
● Slide show narration
● Butcher paper
● Handouts: Ferguson Action vision and demands
Workshop Outline:
I. Introduction and goals (5 minutes)
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Monday, January 19th is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national holiday that falls on the
third Monday of January each year, to commemorate the birthday of Martin Luther King
Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a leader of the U.S. Civil Rights movement, and the
annual holiday is a chance to reflect on his teachings and recommit to the ongoing fight
against racism in the United States.
NDWA created this workshop outline for our affiliates to discuss the importance and
legacy of the Civil Rights movement, the links to our work today, and our own
commitments to fight racism in all of its forms.
Goals of this workshop:
○ To gain a shared understanding of Civil Rights history and the legacy of Martin
Luther King Jr.
○ To gain a shared understanding of the continuation of anti-Black racism in the
U.S.
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To increase our understanding of how black liberation struggles have shaped-and continue to shape--this country.
To commit to action steps, as individuals and as a group
II. Presentation on civil rights, racism and resistance [30 minutes]
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Ask participants to share what they know about Martin Luther King Jr.’s contributions.
Why do we celebrate his life on January 19th? [10 minutes]
Show powerpoint and read powerpoint narration out loud, along with the slides (the
powerpoint and slideshow narration are available at www.domesticworkers.org/mlk) [20
minutes]
At the end of the powerpoint, hand out the Ferguson Action vision and demands
III. Similarities between past and present [30 minutes]
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Small group discussion. Break participants into two groups to discuss the following. Ask
each group to assign one person as note-taker to make a 2 minute report-back to the full
group. [20 minutes]
○ Group 1: Racism past and present
■ What similarities do you see between the anti-black racism of Martin
Luther King’s time and anti-black racism today? What examples of antiblack racism are still visible in your community today? How have
conditions changed? How are they still the same?
○ Group 2: Resistance past and present
■ What similarities and differences do you see between black resistance in
the Civil Rights movement and the growing Black Lives Matter movement
that has gained momentum since the killing of Mike Brown in Ferguson?
What inspires you about either or both of these movements?
Small groups present [10 minutes]
IV. Personal and group commitments [20 minutes]
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In the coming months, NDWA is launching We Dream in Black, a new program that will
be a space for us to engage more deeply with black liberation struggles and understand
the connections between the fights for black liberation and for domestic worker rights
and dignity. We’ll share more information on this project as it comes together.
Discuss:
○ As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, what can we do, as a group, to
commit to the ongoing struggle for black liberation?
In pairs:
○ As we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, what is your personal commitment to
the ongoing struggle for black liberation?
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Action: There are three ways to honor King's contribution and leadership and celebrate
Black liberation this week.
1) Go to FergusonAction.com/reclaim-MLK for more information on the following
actions:
● Thursday, January 15th, Pledge of Resistance: Day to strikes and
walkouts.
● Sunday, January 18th Day of Resilience: Day of healing, reflection, and
self-care.
● Monday, January 19th Day of Action: Find an action near you
2) Share NDWA’s memes on Sunday, January 18th in honor of caring for each
other in our movement and Monday, January 19th to honor the legacy of Martin
Luther King Jr.
3) Use the hashtag #ReclaimMLK and #dwdignity on your personal and
organizational twitter accounts to share your commitment to the ongoing struggle
for Black liberation.
V. Closing [5 minutes]
We Shall Not Be Moved was one of many songs sung by Martin Luther King Jr. and others
during protests in the 1950s and 1960s at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. It’s a song
that we still sing in our movements today, representing our steadfastness and our commitment
to justice. End the workshop by singing it together, in English or Spanish.
We shall, we shall not be moved
We shall, we shall not be moved
Just like a tree that’s planted by the water
We shall not be moved.
No, no, no nos moverán
No, no, no nos moverán
Porque estamos bien organizados
No nos moverán.
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