Parks' small action showed us the way to go

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From: The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Parks' small action showed us the way to go

By FORREST ELLIOTT

Golda Meir Elementary School

Last Updated: Jan. 15, 2005

When Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white

man it wasn't because she was tired or unaware. Not all of us feel

capable of being as amazing or powerful as Dr. Luther King

Jr. but Parks is someone we can all relate to. Her small,

everyday action, like sitting in a seat, caused many people to hold

their heads in a new way.

This year's Luther King Jr. essay contest was themed: Walking

in a New Way, Holding our Heads in a New Way, Have a New Attitude.

The contest was sponsored by the Milwaukee Teachers' Education

Association and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The saying " put yourself in another's shoes " describes one of life's

most important lessons. I can relate to that saying with a story

from my own experience. A year ago, at a Quaker conference, I was in

an acting class and I was to perform a skit with a partner. The boy

I had to do it with was really difficult. He was rude and

uninterested and I got so frustrated thinking the play would be dumb.

I expressed those feelings to my mom and we had a conference with

the teacher. At the meeting, the teacher explained that the boy had

Asperger's Syndrome, a mild autism. I realized that I had totally

misunderstood him.

My mom advised me to put myself in the boy's shoes. As I envisioned

this I thought about how hard it would be to pay attention and be

with people to get work done if I had problems like his. The day of

the play came around and the play was a success. I was so proud of

myself for working through the situation to get an understanding and

respect for a boy like him.

Everyone on Earth should have a positive role model. My role model

is my mom because of her determination to try and understand people

and " get in their shoes. " Dr. King's role model was Mahatma Gandhi.

While studying in college, Dr. King read about Gandhi, an Indian non-

violent leader, and was very interested in Gandhi's work. Many

people think that over the course of his life, Gandhi's influence

was the thing that made King hold his head in a new way.

As you can see, any person can have a new attitude or hold their

head in a new way if they try. I did it, Dr. King did it, and

millions of people joined him to do it in the '60s.

So why don't you give it a try?