The author of To Kill a Mockingbird was born on this day in 1926. When her novel, a seminal work examining racism in the US, was denounced by one school board as “immoral,” she responded by saying, “what I’ve heard makes me wonder if any of its members can read.”
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More than 6 million Jews perished in the Holocaust.
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William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest writer in the English language, was born on this day in 1564. Maybe. We are not sure. In fact, there is much we don’t know about Shakespeare. Some don’t think that he wrote the plays that are attributed to him, or that he even existed,. This might not even be a picture of him. Learn more about Shakespeare and the debate surrounding his identity. More importantly, take the opportunity to enjoy the plays, whether on film, television, or best of all, live!
Today is Earth Day, a day to celebrate our planet and to raise awareness about the need to protect it for our future and for future generations.
For more on Earth Day in Canada, check out earthday.ca and earthday.org
On April 15, 1947, Jackie Robinson played his first game for the Brooklyn Dodgers. In doing so, he became the first African-American to play in the major leagues of baseball, breaking the racist colour barriers that shamefully tarnish the history of the great game of baseball. Jackie Robinson was a wonderfully talented player who earned the praise of fans for his play on the field. He also earned praise for his courage and determination in the face of a racist society that continued to resist the equal participation of non-whites in the game and in the everyday life of the nation. Robinson faced racial taunting and violence on the field, and untold indignities and threats away from the ballpark. Thankfully his determination led the way for more black players to follow and helped our society move along the long slow path towards changing attitudes, promoting acceptance and tolerance, and the goal of eliminating racism. Today in all MLB parks, players will wear #42 in honour of Jackie Robinson.
Martin Luther King Jr. lost his life on this day in 1968. He was shot and killed while he was on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee. He was only 39 years old.
Learn more about the life and death of Dr. King:
Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary School Library 