Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Social Studies/Civics/ELA: Martin Luther King, Jr.

Media type: Video and text

Link: Yecheilyah (@yecheilyah) | TikTok

Media Platform: TikTok

Arrange students into groups of 3-4 to evaluate this video, using the following blog entry and my book as a guide. Then bring them back together and lead a class discussion to elicit students’ reactions and thoughts.

Have students apply the steps from my book to evaluate this post. They should not read or evaluate the comments about the post. Have students use the relevant indicators from the Social Media News Evaluation Game and the Is It Misleading News? game in Chapter 14 of my book.

Stop! Check for Biases and Mindset—the Author’s and Your Own

Students will initially see the thumbnail of the video. Many will first notice the caption, “7 Things You Didn’t Learn About MLK.” Some will notice the upload date; Many may also be drawn in by the young Black lady smiling back at them. They may have a preexisting bias regarding MLK Jr; some may view him favorably; others may not.

Regardless, the students should ask themselves:

How does the image make me feel?

What emotions am I feeling? Attraction, disbelief, etc.?

After students read the caption, they should ask themselves:

How does the information in the caption combined with the image affect my emotions?

What mindset might I have toward posts like this?

What cognitive biases may cause me to feel this way?

Students should let their emotions settle and prepare to evaluate the media as dispassionately as possible.

Students should also consider the biases and mindset of Ysrayl. Judging from her website (see Investigate the Source, below), Ysrayl has a favorable impression of MLK Jr.

Investigate the Source

The information at the bottom of the thumbnail indicates that the video had 2,254 Likes as of this writing. Clicking on the account name Yecheilyah, (Yecheilyah (@yecheilyah) | TikTok) brings up the account page, including a thumbnail image. It indicates the account had 38K Followers, 185 Following, and almost 800K Likes as of this writing. The account describes itself as “Reclaiming the Soul of Black History.” The page also includes a link to the personal website of the apparent account owner, Yecheilyah Ysrayl. The website displays the owner’s image; poetry contest; and the statements, “Multi-Award-Winning Author and Poet” and “Reclaiming the Lost Echoes of Black History, Where Forgotten Truths Rise Like the Buried Sun, Casting Light on the Shadows of Time.” It also features the account owner’s book, Black History Facts You Didn’t Learn in School.” “Yecheilyah Books LLC, Dallas, Georgia” appears at the bottom of the website.

All of this information lends credibility to the Ysrayl’s TikTok video. However, the account is not a mainstream, standards-based news source. Students should leave TikTok and investigate the source using the “Google Like a Pro” tips from my book.

A Google search doesn’t surface any information on Ysrayl from standards-based news outlets, but it does find numerous reviews of her books on Amazon, Goodreads, and other booksellers. This indicates she is definitely who she says she is and that she has been discussing Black history for many years.

A reverse image search for the TikTok account profile image using Google Images surfaced several identical images across social media. The fact that this image appears as her profile image on her verified LinkedIn profile strongly suggest the image is authentic.

Check for an Argument

Next, students should determine if Ysrayl’s post makes an argument. They should remember from earlier learning that most social media posts seek to persuade us to believe or do something. Yet many posts don’t provide sufficient reasons for us to be persuaded, often because they rely on nonexistent or weak arguments. They should also remember that the image by itself cannot make an argument but that it can enhance the argument that the text may make.

As they learned in my book, students should try to determine if the post contains the premises and conclusion to an argument. First, they should identify the post’s implicit and explicit statements and put them in standard form.

The static “thumbnail” view of Ysrayl’s TikTok that viewers first see does not make an argument because it contains only the caption, 7 Things You Didn’t Learn About MLK, and 7 Fun Facts about Dr. King at the bottom. At best, these statements could only serve as the conclusion; there are no supporting premises.

So students need to play the entire video to find additional statements. I suggest that these are the statements:

His birth name was Michael not Martin. (explicit)
He skipped the 9^th & 12^th grade and went straight to Morehouse. (explicit)
He founded The Poor People’s Campaign to fight poverty. (explicit)
He rented an apartment on the west side of Chicago to experience the poor living conditions. (explicit)
The first attempt on his life was in 1958, when he was stabbed at a book signing. (explicit)
In an interview with Harry Belafonte, he admitted to “integrating his people into a burning house.” (explicit)
He was jailed 29 times. (explicit)
In April, 1963 he wrote the book, “Letters From Birmingham Jail.” (explicit)
“I Have A Dream” (the words on the Lorraine Motel sign in the video. (explicit)
“Founding President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference” (words on the plaque in front of the Lorraine Motel). (explicit)
“They said one to another, ‘Behold, here cometh the dreamer…Let us slay him…and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ ” –Bible (Genesis 3&:19-20, and words on the plaque. (explicit)

Therefore, MLK Jr. was a courageous/determined/selfless/visionary man. (implicit)

Students should identify 7-11 statements, depending on whether they break statement seven into two separate statements, whether they spot the words on the motel sign, and whether they include the words on the plaque.

The first 11 statements are explicit and the last statement—what I consider five possible plausible conclusions—is implicit. The 11 statements and the conclusion are sufficiently clear so that most students would have a shared understanding of what the statements mean and could determine whether they would be true/plausible or false. None of the statements are questions or commands.

A reverse image search using screen grabs of parts of the video indicate the video is of an exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel (National Civil Rights Museum | At the Lorraine Motel), where MLK Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968. It shows the exterior scene at the motel time MLK Jr. was shot. It adds authenticity to Ysrayl’s TikTok but does not itself make an argument without the captioned statements.

The video soundtrack, Rock With Me on a Boat by Sickickmusic, is a mix of the two songs Rock With You by Micheal Jackson and Rock the Boat by Aaliyah. It adds a vibe celebrating MLK Jr. and implicitly supports Ysrayl’s narrative.

Considering all of this, I think Ysrayl makes an argument, according to the basic principles of logic and argumentation.

Determine if the Argument Satisfies the Logic Condition

Students should say that the argument satisfies the Logic Condition, because at least one of the five possible conclusions necessarily or plausibly follows from the premises.

Check for Structural (Formal) Fallacies

Students should say they can check for a structural fallacy because a structural fallacy is an argument—albeit a bad one–and Ysrayl’s TikTok makes argument. They should conclude that her argument does not contain structural fallacies.

Can You Fact Check It?

Students should determine that they can fact-check all 11 statements.

Find Trusted Coverage

All students should fact-check the 11 statements by looking for reporting from media outlets they trust.

Statement 1: His birth name was Michael not Martin.

Numerous reliable sources confirm this statement, including Britannica.com[i], History.com[ii], Time.com[iii], and others. Students should conclude that statement 1 is accurate.

Statement 2: He skipped the 9^th & 12^th grade and went straight to Morehouse.

Numerous reputable sources agree that he skipped two grades in high school, and most say he skipped 9^th and 12th grade, corroborating Ysrayl’s statement[iv]. Biography.com[v] and Timeforkids.com[vi] indicate he skipped the 9^th and 11^th grades. Students should conclude that statement 2 is generally true, even if the exact two grades are uncertain.

Statement 3: He founded The Poor People’s Campaign to fight poverty.

Credible sources also support this statement, including Britannica.com, the National Civil Rights Museum, and NBCnews.com. Britannica reports that In November 1967 MLK Jr. and the staff of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) decided to launch a Poor People’s Campaign to highlight and find solutions to many of the problems facing the country’s poor.[vii] The National Civil Rights Museum indicates that MLK Jr. launched the Campaign in partnership with the SCLC and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[viii] The Campaign was still in the planning stages when King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. But the Poor People’s March that resulted from the Campaign occurred just over two months later, on June 19, 1968.[ix]

Statement 4: He rented an apartment on the west side of Chicago to experience the poor living conditions.

This is a true statement, according to several reliable sources, including the Chicago Tribune[x] and Politico.[xi] MLK Jr. moved there to protest ghetto conditions and the exclusion of Blacks from white neighborhoods. He captured national attention regarding poor living conditions for Blacks in Chicago and other urban slums.

Statement 5: The first attempt on his life was in 1958, when he was stabbed at a book signing.

History.com,[xii] the National Museum of African American History & Culture[xiii], and other credible sources back up this statement. MLK Jr. was stabbed in September 1958 by Izola Ware Curry as he signed copies of his book, Stride Toward Freedom, in a department store in New York City. Curry was found to be mentally ill.

Statement 6: In an interview with Harry Belafonte, he admitted to “integrating his people into a burning house.”

Established, mainstream, credible sourcing for this one is hard to come by, but several sources indicate this statement is generally true, even if the exact wording is uncertain. Harry Belafonte, in Chapter 16 of his memoir “My Song,”[xiv] describes a discussion with MLK Jr. in which Belafonte claims that MLK Jr. said “I’ve come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house.” In a New York Times article about Belafonte from 1993,[xv] Belafonte recalls that MLK Jr. “paced in this room a week before his assassination and wondered aloud if blacks were, in effect, integrating into a burning house.”

Statement 7: He was jailed 29 times.

This is a true statement, according to numerous credible sources, including the National Museum of African American History & Culture[xvi] and Britannica.com.[xvii]

Statement 8: In April, 1963 he wrote the book “Letters From Birmingham Jail.”

This is also a true statement, according to reputable sources, including the Associated Press[xviii] and The Washington Post[xix].

Statement 9: “I Have A Dream” (words on Lorraine Motel sign in video).

This statement is widely attributed to MLK Jr. by reputable sources, including History.com,[xx] the National Archives of the US Government,[xxi] and the National Museum of African American History & Culture.[xxii]

Statement 10: “Founding President, Southern Christian Leadership Conference” (on plaque in the exhibit in front of the Lorraine Motel).

This statement is true, according to a variety of reputable sources, including the Library of Congress[xxiii] and the New York Times.[xxiv]

Statement 11: “They said one to another, ‘Behold, here cometh the dreamer…Let us slay him…and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ ” –Bible (Genesis 3&:19-20)

This is an accurate quote of the Bible, although the wording varies slightly depending on the translation.

Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to Their Original Context

The video does not appear to have stripped any important context. It shows Ysrayl at the exhibit

Check for Manipulation Tactics

There are no manipulation tactics in the post.

Check for Deceptive Use of Artificial Intelligence

There is no evidence that the video uses AI.

Determine if the Argument Satisfies the Truth Condition

Ysrayl’s argument satisfies the Truth Condition. All of the statements are true/plausible after fact-checking.

Check for Content (Informal) Fallacies

There are no content fallacies in the post.

Overall Evaluation of the Media

Ysrayl’s TikTok post makes a solid argument. It meets the Logic and Truth Conditions and contains no fallacies or manipulation tactics. Most students would probably agree that at least one of the five suggested conclusions is at least plausible, given the premises contained in Ysrayl’s argument. Students should be persuaded by the post.

[i] Martin Luther King, Jr. | Biography, Speeches, Facts, & Assassination | Britannica

[ii] 10 Things You May Not Know About Martin Luther King Jr. | HISTORY

[iii] Why Did Martin Luther King Jr.’s Father Change His Name? | TIME

[iv] 10 Things You May Not Know About Martin Luther King Jr. | HISTORY

[v] Martin Luther King Jr.: Biography, Civil Rights Activist, MLK Jr.

[vi] TIME for Kids | Martin Luther King, Jr.

[vii] Poor People’s Campaign | History & Facts | Britannica

[viii] Poverty

[ix] Poor People’s Campaign | History & Facts | Britannica

[x] Martin Luther King Jr. in Chicago — Chicago Tribune

[xi] Opinion | What MLK’s Final Campaign Tells Us About His Legacy – POLITICO

[xii] How an Assassination Attempt Affirmed MLK’s Faith in Nonviolence | HISTORY