News Release

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Activities at Brown v. Board Site

Date: January 9, 2012

Contact: Justin Sochacki
Phone number: [phone]

Topeka, KS - All are invited to commemorate and celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site. The day will include film screenings, children's activities, and a trivia game with prizes. All activities are free and open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on January 16.

Children and families visiting the site may participate in a variety of activities to learn more about Dr. King and his legacy. Scavengers hunts focused on Dr. King will be available. Children and family members can express their own creativity by creating a protest sign inspired by slogans of the civil rights movement. A trivia game about Dr. King will also be available. All trivia participants will take home a souvenir, but a special prize will be awarded to the top scoring team in each game.

The park will screen two highly acclaimed films on Martin Luther King, Jr. Both are productions of PBS's American Experience, the longest running and most watched history series on television. "Citizen King" focuses on the last five years of King's life following his historic "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963. Filmmaker Orlando Bagwell said of "Citizen King," "This is not a film about the last days of a great leader. Rather, it is a story of a man losing fear, gaining courage, and becoming great." "Roads to Memphis: The Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr." will also be screened. This gripping film chronicles the tragic events leading to the assassination of King and the subsequent manhunt that brought his assassin, James Earl Ray, to justice.

Children's activities will be available all day. Movie and trivia times will be:

Film Screening: "Citizen King," 10 a.m. - Noon
King Trivia: 10:30 a.m.
Film Screening: "Roads to Memphis," 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
King Trivia: 1:30 p.m.
Film Screening: "Citizen King," 2:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
King Trivia: 3:00 p.m.

Western National Parks Association (WNPA) will offer all visitors a 15% discount on all purchases at the park bookstore. Teachers and educators receive 20% off all purchases year-round. WNPA is also generously donating prizes for the winning trivia teams.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site tells the story of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended legal segregation in public schools. The site is located at 1515 SE Monroe Street in Topeka, Kansas, and is open free of charge from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with the exceptions of Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. For more information visit, www.nps.gov/brvb or call [phone].