A homage that sounds unpleasant (to many). A video broadcast on the National Education account X – formerly Twitter – on Tuesday evening sparked a reaction from many Internet users. The short sequence, which has been viewed nearly six million times, was released to mark the 60th anniversary of the Black Civil Rights March on Washington on August 28, 1963, the day Martin Luther King gave his iconic speech: “I have a dream.” .”
In this short clip, middle school students are inspired by the American priest’s statements and explain in English what their dream would be: that of equality between men and women, protection of the environment, more tolerance between men… The message is clear. But many internet users have pointed out the cruel lack of diversity among these young adolescents who are nevertheless paying tribute to a figure in the fight for civil rights.
“A deep ignorance of history”
“A clip that repeats the words of MLK without including a single person who represents the diversity of the country. Great job by the Ministry of National Education,” quips one netizen. “It’s not just a communication problem, it’s a profound misunderstanding of history and today’s youth. “It’s serious for this ministry, it’s serious that no one has tipped,” says another.
Some still note that there is no mention of inequalities between whites and racialized people in this speech. An “absurdity,” criticize some Twitter users and also point out that Martin Luther King fought against racial segregation all his life.
A reason that is difficult to convince
Amid the growing controversy, the Ministry of Education tried to justify itself on Tuesday evening, declaring in a second tweet that the students present in the video were the winners of a “competition that promotes the creative practice of English in middle school.”
“To honor the memory of Martin Luther King on the 60th anniversary of his famous speech on August 28, 1963, they were invited to deliver a short speech inspired by that of Martin Luther King, beginning “I have a.” dream began,” emphasized the ministry. A somewhat short explanation given the number of repeated reviews on the social network.
“What was the commitment to selecting these honorees for this speech? None,” says one internet user. “MLK wanted true equality between blacks and whites, and honoring it between whites too,” claims another.