PLAY GIVES KING INSIGHT

A five-member acting troupe condensed the biography of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the history of the civil rights movement into a 50-minute educational program for area students Wednesday.

The St. Louis Black Repertory Theater presented "Martin Luther King: The Man and His Dream" before more than 1,000 students in performances at Jefferson and Alma Schrader schools and at Southeast Missouri State University. The university sponsored the performances using a grant received from the Dr. Martin Luther King State Commission. They are a prelude to Black History Month, which is February.

"They are wonderful storytellers who really know how to get across the ideals from that part of our history," said Debra Mitchell-Braxton, who coordinated the event.

"I think it's great because we get to celebrate people who've done great things for us," said Joseph Moore, 12. "They basically told us it doesn't matter if you're black or white or mixed, because we're all created equally."

Tracy Kiser, 12, said she appreciates opportunities to study historical figures of all races. She said teachers have done a good job of including King and other black leaders in classroom discussions.

"I knew about the bus boycott and Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks because we've studied them in my younger years," Kiser said. "What they did was important, because if they didn't we wouldn't have a lot of the different friends we have."

Actor Ameer Harper said the play may have been too advanced for many of the younger students, but teachers should use the play as a springboard to discuss cultural diversity and promote the importance of acceptance.

Jefferson physical-education teacher Barbara Kitchen wasted no time discussing the themes of the play with a second-grade class. She said she has few opportunities to discuss the value of social acceptance with students, but she works daily to promote good social skills..