At Grand Avenue Elementary School in Baldwin, fifth-grade students didn’t just learn about the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. this year — they became voices of the civil rights movement.
For the first time, fifth-graders marked Martin Luther King Jr. Day last week with a teacher-led program performed by students in a “radio talk show,” in which they portrayed historical figures who helped lead the fight for equality. The talk-show format transported the audience through time, highlighting conversations with King, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, Dorothy Height and Ella Baker — figures who helped reshape American history.
Principal Samantha Dias opened the program by reminding students that King’s legacy still speaks to today’s world.
“Dr. King taught us that our words, our actions matter — and small acts of kindness can help make the world a better place,” she told the audience. “As you watch today’s performance, think about how you can show respect, courage and care for others each day. Today we’re going to celebrate and live out Dr. King’s dream together.”
Five fifth-grade students took the stage on Jan. 21, using their “studio” as a portal to the past, where laws were unfair to Black Americans and those who demanded change. They played both hosts and heroes, asking and answering questions in character about the challenges each leader faced — and the courage it took to persist.
The assembly was written and directed by Paul Weiss, a pre-K STEAM and literacy teacher at the school, who said he wanted students to engage with history in a more meaningful way.
“I created the talk show; I chose some unsung heroes of the time that their names are not always popping out,” Weiss said. “You hear stories about Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, but John Lewis, Dorothy Height, Ella Baker — you don’t hear too much about them.”
The students said that performing gave them a deeper connection to the people they studied. “I’m surprised how Martin Luther King was able to do all of that without being nervous,” said Timothy Parker, who portrayed King. “I don’t know how he was able to make all those speeches and meet so many people.”
Xili Durant Romain, who played Rosa Parks, said that although she learned about the civil rights movement and its challenges, acting in her role made it feel more real.
“We only read about them — we never experienced what they went through in life, and we never were actually them,” Romain said. “Like, Martin Luther King went to jail 29 times.”
Tyler Barnes, who portrayed John Lewis, spoke about Lewis’s fight for voting rights and the organization of the March on Washington. Emily Edwards played Ella Baker, a human rights activist who helped lead protests, while Ava Nicholas played Dorothy Height, who led women to get involved in the fight for women’s rights.
“When we introduced the program, we showed them who they were and we told them what they did,” Weiss said.
The conversations with the historical figures were brief, because the assembly was only 20 minutes long. “But those kids up there — they don’t ever get a chance to do this,” Weiss added. The performers were a mix of students who have individualized education programs or are often left out of other school performances.
During her performance, Romain delivered a scripted line that echoed Parks’s legacy in the Montgomery bus boycott: “I didn’t plan on becoming famous,” she said. “I thought it was unfair to give up my seat.”
Each historic figure featured in the performance left a powerful legacy. King led the Montgomery bus boycott and the 1963 March on Washington. Lewis was one of the original Freedom Riders and a leader during the Selma march. Height, a lifelong advocate for racial and gender justice, led the National Council of Negro Women for four decades. Baker co-founded the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, helping to empower youth voices in the civil rights movement.
The event also featured two musical performances fifth-grade music class. The songs, taught by music teacher Megal Sadlon, had themes of unity and social justice, and gave students another way to express the assembly’s message beyond spoken lines.
Sadlon said that the early rehearsals, which began before the holiday break, helped students feel more confident and grounded in the music’s meaning. “It’s not just about memorizing words,” she said. “It’s about singing with purpose.”
