Marlena says of this painting:
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"I wanted to paint Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, surrounded by children because a huge part of their legacy was educating the youth in nonviolent protest."

King would say, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”, and encouraged them to join the movement. Most of the black children of the south had parents who already attended meetings, boycotted local businesses, and marched against discrimination. They were excited to join the protest as tensions reached an all time high.
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In 1963, America watched as thousands of black children got blasted by fire hoses, attacked by police dogs, and ended up imprisoned. The violence continued but more brave children joined the protest. King praised their actions, “What you do this day will have an impact on children yet unborn”. His prediction was correct. The Children’s Crusade was the event that moved President John F. Kennedy to fully express his support for civil rights legislation. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.