WS Chronicle

“This is awesome!” 

That was the reaction of 32 young people who traveled to Washington, D.C. on June 1 to see the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

Several of the children recapped the experience with June 15 presentations and a discussion at First Waughtown Baptist Church. The trip was funded in part by a $1,000 grant from the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of the North Carolina Department of Administration.  First Waughtown received the grant after responding to a request for proposals with a three-phase program to help youth develop a greater knowledge of and appreciation for the life and legacy of Dr. King.  Most of the youths who made the trip are members of First Waughtown Baptist. Others are friends from their neighborhoods and the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club.

The program included a pre-trip orientation with a video and publications display and introduction of role-play scenarios that encouraged participants to apply Dr. King’s principles to situations they face.  The second phase – the trip – began with late night role plays and a Civil Rights Movement presentation by Norma Corley, a local educator, community activist, and one of three children who integrated Easton Elementary School in 1958.

After an overnight bus ride, the young people were separated into small groups, each with a chaperone.  The groups visited the King Memorial and several other landmarks and attractions.  The outing also offered the groups time to share what they saw and learned.  Additional activities focusing on Dr. King will be scheduled.

First Waughtown Baptist Church is located at 838 Moravia St. Dennis W. Bishop is senior pastor.