Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School - NE Portland, OR

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School is an important school that stands strong in Northeast Portland, Oregons Alberta Arts District, which was once historically a Black community but is now an increasingly gentrified neighborhood.
On April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Not long after, students, yep, KIDS, rallied and officially petitioned to the Board of Portland Public Schools, to have the name of the school changed to honor Dr. King. 20 days later the request was approved and the school’s name would change from Highland School to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. School. That made this one of the FIRST schools, (if not the actual first), in the entire country, to have its name changed to honor him. And it was because of children. Needless to say, these kids are some of my heroes, for the gusto, determination, and legacy they exhibited and grew, to honor a man of crucial integrity and love. ⁣