The Best of Our Knowledge
(2010-01-18)
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ALBANY, NY
(WAMC) -
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL HOLIDAY
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"CROSSROADS TO FREEDOM"
PT. 1: KING'S LEGACY AND THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT TODAY -
Every year in January, we recognize Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday. And we devote at least part of our show to remembering his work and accomplishments.
He's one of only four individuals to have a federal holiday named after them. Martin Luther King Day was established as a national holiday in 1986.
Dr. King was a clergyman, but known mostly as an activist and prominent leader in the African American civil rights movement.
His death in Memphis, Tennessee, is one reason we went there for this story. And, in so doing, we discovered Crossroads to Freedom, a digital archive of materials from the civil rights era.
TBOOK spoke with Dr. Russ Wigginton, Vice President of College Relations at Rhodes College in Memphis. Prior to his current position, Dr. Wigginton was a History Professor at Rhodes, specializing in African American and Community History.
Glenn Busby reports. (10:34)
**(Attention listeners and program directors who may get questions. The websites
mentioned at the conclusion of the above story are:
www.crossroadstofreedom.org and www.rhodes.edu )**
LISTENER FOOTNOTE: The above story contains several references to the historic Stax Records in Memphis. The interstitial music used inside today's program was all recorded at Stax. Enjoy! The original recording studio is now a museum. The website is: www.soulsvilleusa.com . You can keep up to date on their plans for 2010, The Soulsville Charter School, Stax Music Academy, and the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.
FARESTART: SEATTLE COOKING SCHOOL FOR HOMELESS STUDENTS -
TV cooking shows are wildly popular. But for some people, learning cooking skills
is much more than learning how to prepare meals.
Instead of just delivering meals to people in need, FareStart, a Seattle,
Washington cooking school and non-profit, teaches homeless students how to
cook.
Over the past 17-years, FareStart has provided opportunities for over 3-thousand
people to transform their lives while also serving 3.5-million meals to the
disadvantaged.
World Vision's, Cynthia Graber, reports. (4:23)
*(For additional information on the preceding, go to: www.farestart.org )*
STEINER/WALDORF SCHOOLS -
There are now more than 800 Rudolf Steiner Schools around the world. They're better known in the U.S. as Waldorf Schools. They're well established in European countries, their origin.
At a time when many children are being sent to pre-K schools to make sure they get that head start on their education, having a school with no report cards, and an emphasis on subjects like basket weaving and expressive dancing, appears to go counter to the current emphasis on assessments and accountability.
But in Germany, Steiner Schools are the fastest growing alternative to that country's public education system. We visited one of the schools and spoke with parents and students, and learned there's not universal agreement on Steiner education.
Network Europe's, Kate Hairsine, reports. (3:31)
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