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Tarrant-Reid opened the session with a discussion; a day of activities celebrating King's work followed. She spoke exclusively with the Daily Voice about the message she tries to send to young people.
"My goal is to help youngsters get excited about information that they're not aware of, specifically the history, places and events that may not be covered in their curriculum," she explained.
"I tell them about people their age who struggled for freedom. But the importance of this day is to help young people understand that their forefathers and ancestors struggled for equality, and that Martin Luther King did an enormous amount of things that helped us gain our equality," she said.
"Today the struggle continues, but it's important for young people to know that they can make a difference... by raising their voices, by saying that they're not going to accept second-class citizenship, or injustice."
Tarrant-Reid said students are usually very receptive to her message.
"When I inform them of a black inventor, a black writer, or someone in the civil rights movement who they were not aware of, they're amazed, and it really spurs them on to do their own research," she said.
Young mom Eralda Xhebroj and her three-year-old son Matias, who recently moved to White Plains from Albania, were among those in the audience. "It's very interesting for me and my son," she said."It's important to teach him about what this day means."
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