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One of our past profilees, Annetta Seecharran, made the news yesterday for her work on Martin Luther King Day.

Immigrant Teens on Martin Luther King Jr’s Legacy
WNYC Newsroom

NEW YORK, NY January 15, 2007 — Martin Luther King Day celebrates an established American hero. But Dr. King and the civil rights movement can be a hazy concept for recent immigrant families that make up the majority in many parts of the city.

Annetta Seecharran is the head of South Asian Youth Action in Elmhurst, Queens. She works with teenagers who have roots in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and the Caribbean.

SEECHARRAN: We certainly educate our young people here about Dr King and his work and how the work that we’re doing today links back to the civil rights movement. I don’t think there is enough public education in general about Dr King within other communities of color.

South Asian teens gathered for a leadership class say they learn about Dr. King in school, but there’s a gap between the civil rights legacy and the issues they face today. Noor is a high-school sophomore born and raised in Elmhurst. Her family came from Bangladesh.

NOOR: Like, it has been a while since someone actually done this in our time, or someone South Asian like us, that we can relate to has done this. So I’m not sure there’s actual connection but we do respect him

Other teens say the civil rights movement paved the way for their own rights in America. They all agree on one thing with midterms and Regents exams coming up… it’s a relief to have the day off from school.