Community Update

Did you know that Martin Luther King, Jr. spent the summers of 1944 and 1947 working on a tobacco farm in Simsbury, CT with a group of students working for money to help pay for college? Did you know that it was during these two summers that he began on his path to becoming a minister?

Two or so years ago, two dozen Simsbury High School students researched, scripted, and produced a video documentary detailing the experiences Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had during his two summers as a young migrant worker on a tobacco farm in Simsbury. The documentary examined the profound influence that the experience of living in a desegregated society had on Dr. King and on his call to ministry. In addition, the visits to Simsbury opened the young King's eyes to a world to which he was not accustomed... He saw a land of promise, and not a world of segregation.

“On our way here we saw some things I had never anticipated to see, "he wrote his father in June of 1944. "After we passed Washington there was no discrimination at all. The white people here are very nice. We go to any place we want to and sit any where we want to."

He wrote to his mother also that same year. "I never thought that a person of my race could eat anywhere but we ate in one of the finest restaurants in Hartford," King wrote. "And we went to the largest shows there."

King's was teased by his friends that the hot sun in the tobacco fields caused him to preach, his sister, Christine King Farris, told The AP. In her book, "Through It All: Reflections on My Life, My Family, and My Faith," Farris wrote that her brother underwent a "metamorphosis" as a result of his time in Connecticut. "That was quite an experience," Farris said.

King's widow, Coretta Scott King, wrote in her memoir, "My Life With Martin Luther King Jr." that her husband talked of the exhilarating sense of freedom he felt in Connecticut that summer.

Dr. King also wrote of how his first visit to Simsbury changed him. "After that summer in Connecticut, it was a bitter feeling going back to segregation," King wrote in his autobiography. "I could never adjust to the separate waiting rooms, separate eating places, separate rest rooms, partly because the separate was always unequal, and partly because the very idea of separation did something<br/>to my sense of dignity and self-respect."

Students from Simsbury High School were honored for their work in producing the documentary at the 2010 Martin Luther King, Jr. Gala in Connecticut, with Gov. Dannel Malloy, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman in attendance. In addition, the documentary has garnered numerous awards and received national recognition, including a spotlight on CBS News and coverage by the Associated Press.

The students are now embarking upon a project to raise $100,000 dollars to create a permanent memorial in Simsbury of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the impact that his time in our community had on his life. They believe that the construction of the memorial will benefit Simsbury and the State of Connecticut in many ways, including:
-Calling attention to the dignity and courage of Martin Luther King, Jr, through the memorial's location in the heart of Simsbury.
-Exposing both residents and visitors to the community and state to the powerful story of MLK Jr.’s time in Connecticut and Simsbury's role in this story.
-Ensuring that community and state residents and students learn the story of MLK in Connecticut.
-Joining the Connecticut Freedom Trail to put Simsbury on the map of Connecticut’s historic journey furthering civil rights and human dignity. -Serving as a center or “hub” for an annual celebration of the story of MLK Jr. in Connecticut and his message of peace and hope.
-Inspiring young members of the community and the state by demonstrating that the deeds of great men and women often begin as early as high school.
-Reflecting community pride in Simsbury and the leadership of the town’s youth.
-Increasing the visibility of Simsbury in the state, thereby benefiting residents, local businesses, and the local economy through visitors the memorial will attract.
-Serving to educate and inspire all who visit the memorial, in celebration of Dr. King's life.

The students are asking for your support at this time to help them construct a memorial in honor of this historic chapter of our local and state history. Purchasing a personalized, tax deductible engraved brick which will be placed in the walkway of the memorial is a great way to support and develop a personal "attachment" to this project. For businesses, purchasing a brick affords you the opportunity to gain exposure in the community, is good public relations, and demonstrates your civic involvement.

Please visit MLKinCT.com to learn more, and click on the link for “Buy a Brick”.

Thank you for your consideration and support!