LVS Ascot Welcomes Civil Rights Campaigner To Bring History To Life
26 Oct 2018
Students at LVS Ascot saw their history iGCSE course brought to life on Friday 28th September when civil rights campaigner Mark Levy visited the school from America to discuss his experiences and inspire them to think about their part in the modern world.
Mark is on holiday in the UK but was asked by LVS Ascot teacher Bob Mignot when they met in New York if he would visit on his vacation to help students understand a crucial aspect of their history studies. Mark was a key figure in the civil rights movement in America, inspired by being present at the seminal march on Washington and Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech in 1963. By 1964 he was appointed the coordinator of the Meridian Mississippi Freedom School at which three of his colleagues were killed by the Ku Klux Klan.
For the past five years Mark has given talks to American high school and college students to share his experiences and perspectives on the US civil rights movement, so students at LVS Ascot were fortunate to be able to have such an important era brought to life so vividly for them to aid their studies. Mark said: “I value doing this because both US and UK students will struggle with many similar issues as they face a world that is increasingly more complex”
LVS Ascot Principal Christine Cunniffe said “We want our pupils to reflect on the past to embrace the challenge of the future, and this is a crucial subject for them to study both for their education and to develop empathy and humility. The sessions were very inspiring”.
Photo: Civil rights campaigner Mark Levy with LVS Ascot students