Some do not believe the popular saying, “One voice can make a difference.”However, Spencer Allen, a 6th grader at MMS, believes he is that one voice and can make a difference.

Allen approached the school board with a request that school be dismissed on Martin Luther King Jr. day next year.

He collected over 130 signatures from his fellow classmates and teachers and presented it to the board.

Allen first questioned why his younger brothers were out of school, and he was not. He discovered that they were not out of school in honor of King but because of a teacher collaboration day.

“Then it became less about being out of school and more about why we weren’t honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. for all he has done for our country,” Allen said to The McPherson Sentinel. “You do not have to be an African-American to appreciate all he has done.”

We agree with Allen’s reasons for observing the holiday and think that McPherson schools should be dismissed on that day.

Furthermore, Allen expressed the concern as to why McPherson students were not studying African American heritage.

“Why do we spend weeks on ancient cultures like Egypt and not the majority of time on our own country? If McPherson had a 50 percent African-American population, would I be standing here today asking why we don’t have this day off?”

McPherson resident Calvin Bruner also spoke at the board meeting, backing Allen’s comments.

The McPherson Sentinel quoted Bruner, saying that he was concerned that the district was not teaching students about Black heritage. He commented on the fact that he has never seen a poster of a Black person in local schools, even during Black History Month.

“The kids need to see not only what Martin Luther King did for them, but what all black people have done for everybody,” Bruner told the board.

We think that Bruner’s observations should be looked into. Why do we neglect studying important African Americans or celebrating Black History Month? February is Black History Month yet no one would know because it is never discussed in class.

Such an important figure in our nation’s history deserves to be recognized and remembered for all he did for our country.

-Callie Reber, reporting for the High Life staff