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Ceremony to rename Lisle church's diversity institute after Sandra Bland

Too often, we create a "mythical" image of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., leaders of the DuPage African Methodist Episcopal Church in Lisle say.

So church members have created a full day of "hands-on, practical" activities to open young eyes to their own power to act and put King's lofty example within reach, says the Rev. Morgan Dixon, church administrator.

"The idea is that young people can see where they can fit and contribute to improving their community," says Kamarrie Coleman, the co-chairwoman of the annual event on MLK Day.

This year, organizers have renamed DuPage AME's Diversity Institute after Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old woman from Naperville who "grew up" in the church. Bland died in a Texas jail cell last July after she was pulled over during a traffic stop by a state trooper who since has been charged with perjury.

A ceremony Monday morning officially will christen the institute after Bland, an active church volunteer who attended last year's sessions.

"Everyone has something to contribute and Sandy contributed her voice to issues of civil rights in her blog content ('Sandy Speaks') and her interactions with church members," Coleman said. "She presented a face of concern and a face of compassion in regard to some of the things in the community."

The institute will begin with students touring an exhibit of photos, historical documents and other artifacts, many profiling the younger faces of the Civil Rights Movement.

"We want children to know that they're valued," Coleman said, and that they "do have an opportunity to be heard and to be seen."

The institute started in 2005 to help foster a deeper understanding of civil and human rights.

History lessons in schools tend to focus on the movement's adult leaders, not the era's teen and college protesters who also played a critical role, organizers say.

Coleman points to the Children's Crusade in 1963 Birmingham, Alabama, a "wake-up call" for Americans who saw police unleash dogs and water hoses on marchers.

"There's some amazing imagery from that event that really called to question any opposition to moving civil rights along," she said.

This year, Coleman, her husband Lamounte, and a group of more than 60 fellow volunteers are focusing on one theme to instill in kids: "Valuing our Village."

Besides connecting students to more than a dozen groups represented at a lunch fair, the institute aims to build speaking skills, "compassion, joy, resilience, patience - things that they need in order to be leaders in the community," said Coleman, a Wheaton resident.

The institute will hold a session for parents that's closely tied to what their kids are learning, so families can continue the conversation at home.

Students will break into age-appropriate groups led by volunteers who will use a curriculum designed by Coleman, an elementary school teacher, and other church members.

Kids ages 5 to 9 will study King's personal character through song, visuals and stories.

Dixon hopes youngsters realize they have a support system and can be a "voice for change."

"This provides an opportunity for kids to have practical and tactical skills for living in a society," she said.

"If you're wanting to acknowledge Martin Luther King's intention for social justice, it's not a one day thing," Kamarrie Coleman says. "It's an everyday thing." Courtesy of LeVern A. Danley III
Organizers have renamed DuPage AME's Diversity Institute after Sandra Bland, left, who attended last year's sessions. Courtesy of LeVern A. Danley III
Sandra Bland
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