Use this children’s message to help children understand unity in Jesus on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Message Preparation

Theme: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Text: Galatians 3:28

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Message: No More Prejudice!

Tell Rosa Parks’ Story

Welcome kids into your classroom. Gather everyone to sit in a knee-to-knee circle with you. Remember to use inflection and facial expressions to engage kids with Rosa Parks’ story.

Say: Today, I’m going to tell a story about brave men in women in the 1950s who spoke out against something called prejudice. In case you don’t know, “prejudice” is when people assume unkind things about another person, sometimes based on how that person looks. 

In the 1950s, there was an unfair rule in some states that made Black people to sit in the back of public busses. And there were even laws that said a Black person had to give up his or her seat if a white person needed it. 

A brave woman named Rosa Parks spoke up about this unfair rule.

In 1955, she refused to get up from her seat and move to the back of a bus for a white man. Police arrested Rosa Parks because of what she did. 

And Rosa parks wasn’t the only person to experience prejudice. In the 1950s, African American people had to sit in separate areas, drink from separate drinking fountains, and go to separate schools—just because of their skin color.

Ask:

• Call out what you think is wrong about treating people like that.
• What is your first reaction to Rosa Parks’ story?
• How did you think Rosa Parks felt when she wasn’t allowed to sit on the bus?

Welcome all responses, and thank kids for sharing their thoughts.

Learn What the Bible Says About Prejudice

Read Galatians 3:28 aloud from a kid-friendly Bible (like this one).

Ask:

• What does it look like to be “one in Christ”?
• How can you live out the type of teamwork described in this verse?

Say: In the book of Galatians, Paul wanted people to know that everyone—no matter what they look like—can be apart of Jesus’ family together. Sometimes we use the word “unity” to describe that idea of being like a family with other people.

Celebrate Unity in Christ

Say: A man named Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a big fan of that word, “unity.”

He worked with Rosa Parks and many other people because he had the goal to end prejudice against Black people. Dr. King was a pastor, and he knew that Jesus loves Black people and people of all races from all over the world.

End your time together in prayer, thanking God that he made everyone uniquely.

Looking for even more wonderful Martin Luther King Jr. Day ideas? Check out all our MLK Day posts.