EDITOR’S NOTE: At the request of the school, this story has been updated to remove the last names of the students. 

NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The namesake of Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School was walking side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as he marched for voter rights back in 1965.

To honor Rabbi Heschel’s legacy and that of King, the students marched around their Northridge neighborhood. 

They says kids are full of wisdom, but the students at Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School are truly wise beyond their years. 

“We’re praying with our feet,” a group of them exclaimed.

It’s what Jewish philosopher and theologian Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel answered when asked if he had time to pray while walking alongside King for 54 miles in the Voter Rights March of 1965. 

Now, fifth grader Evelyn proudly attends the school named after Heschel, saying she hopes to show the same unity and pursuit of peace the faith leaders exemplified.

“Because there’s too much hate and violence in the world and people won’t stop hating and fighting and having wars, we need to let a little love in," she said.

Although this march up the street wasn’t nearly as long as the painstaking trek from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, 10-year-old Adam and 11-year-old Caleb said they were honored to embody the united advocacy.

“Wow, we are gonna do something that really means something,” Adam said.

“We’re gonna do something crazy like they did, and I thought, ‘They marched 54 miles. That sounds kind of cool,'" Caleb added. “Now that we’re doing it, yeah, that’s just amazing,” they both finished.

This deep sense of appreciation is why Anthea Canes, director of Judaic Studies at the elementary school, thought it so important to plan the event for the transitional kindergarten through 8th graders.

“It’s my dream that the students live and breathe Jewish values, to care about people’s rights, equality, that everybody has a voice,"  Canes explained.

The students shared their dreams as well, singing and some even dancing in an assembly. They learned more about the friendship between King and Heschel, who often spoke together on civil and human rights issues and supported each other’s causes.

“I have a dream, yes I do,” the students sang.

As King would say in his fight against Jewish oppression, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

This show of solidarity is what he gave his life for; for the next generation of shakers and movers like Evelyn, who read her favorite MLK quote during the assembly.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that,” she said. “Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that.”

To learn more about Heschel's friendship with King, please visit here.