Sixth grade students have a good idea about the man honored ontoday’s holiday, but sometimes their facts are a littleconfused.

All of the 15 to 20 students polled by The DAILY LEADER knewthey had the day off from school to celebrate the Rev. MartinLuther King Jr.’s birthday, but some were confused in thedifference between slavery and segregation.

“He was an African-American against slavery and wanted to endit,” said Addie Case. “He gave the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech and didmost of his work in Georgia, but was assassinated in Memphis,Tenn.”

Case wasn’t sure why he was assassinated, but thought it mighthave something to do with his cause.

“It might be because he was against slavery, but I’m not reallysure,” she said.

The word selection might have been wrong, but Case knew what shewas talking about.

“I think Martin Luther King helped, because later it became soit wasn’t as racist as it used to be. We could all go to the sameschool and ride the same buses,” she said.

None of the students said they had studied King or ConfederateGeneral Robert E. Lee in class yet, but a few, like Case, hadinitiated their own research. In most Southern states, today’sholiday also honors Lee.

Laurissa Wesley said King made a significant impact in racerelations at the time, and she thinks the nation continues to seemore unity as a result.

“I believe he did (succeed) or we wouldn’t be like we aretoday,” she said. “Segregation would still be going on if he hadn’tspoke up like he did.”

Melicia Beasley agreed.

“He wanted all people to feel the same and have equal rights,”she said. “Martin Luther King was a speaker, and he wanted whitepeople and black people to communicate with each other. I think wedo that now.”

Michael Wyles also agreed.

“I think he was trying to make it so that we were all equal,like blacks wouldn’t have to sit in the back of the bus,” he said.”Now, whites and blacks get along better than they used to.”

Ashley Dann perhaps explained why we have a holiday in King’shonor best when she said he was “a black person who wanted to endsegregation. It was a good thing, but many people didn’t like itand he was assassinated. I think he succeeded because I think allpeople should be treated equally, and no one is better than anyoneelse.”

Nearly all of the students agreed that Lee opposed slavery,although he was a Confederate general, and supported the Republicanpolitical party, but they knew little of him after that quick brushstroke.

“At first I thought (we celebrated in his honor Monday) becauseit was his birthday, but now I think it’s because, even though theConfederates failed, he at least tried,” said Rachael Faust.

Faust said trying was important “because you need to try to dothings you believe in.”