MLK Proposal

TO: Professor Morris
From: Brittanee Barton

RE: Proposal for column on Martin Luther King Holiday

Subject: Current day college students are left in the dark about what Martin Luther King Jr. actually accomplished.This column will investigate his specific contributions to society.

Scope: People my age know his name and face, but they do not know his accomplishments. They do not know why he is important, beyond the fact that he opened the door for african americans to start to escape organized prejudice. I am going to raise the question about why this is, as well as provide some cold hard facts for education's sake. His name has become synonymous with leader, but why exactly is this the case?

Need: My audience needs to read this column simply because we are a new and younger generation. We are further removed from Dr. King's day than ever before. We know that he is an instrumental leader in society, but what elevated him to this status. He has become a name without substance, when there is truly plenty of substance to discover. My audience needs to read this in order to learn about Monday's holiday.

Methods: I will get additional information through online resources, attending a memorial event, and interviewing people at the memorial event.

Sources: Online, I am researching through nobelprize.org and thekingcenter.org. I am attending an event in Huntington at the First Baptist Church. It is sponsored by the NAACP Huntington-Cabell Branch Maurice Cooley and Vanessa Keadle from Marshall. I also hope to interview either leaders of the service or other people in attendance.

Presentation: This piece will be a one time column to be posted to my blog (brittaneeb.blogspot.com) on Monday evening.

Follow-up: There will likely be no follow-up to the column this year.