Virginia Larsen looks at the world globally but acts locally.

Larsen will receive the Human Rights Commission Award of Recognition Monday for the support she has given to people that have moved to this area from other countries. She has helped refugees find their place in the community.

On Monday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Austin Human Rights Commission will give Larsen the Human Rights Commission Award of Recognition.

Larsen is humble in accepting this honor and said, "They decided to give me this honor, as they ran out of people to give it to."

During the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, she recalled seeing and reading about the race riots and protest marches in the media. A cousin, Carol Larsen, went to Alabama to be in the Civil Rights marches. Larsen considers her a hero for her stand.

She recalled how she felt in 1968, the year the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was assassinated.

"I was living in North Dakota teaching German and French. I had no spiritual underpinnings. This was during the Vietnam War and many of my students were conscientious objectors and some were going to Canada. I felt guilty because I wasn't doing anything. Then when Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy were both killed, life felt hopeless to me," Larsen said.

Because of her past and seeing people fighting for peace and freedom right here in the United States, Larsen has great empathy for refugees.

Larsen came to Austin in 1970 to teach at what was then called Austin Community College. She first became involved with helping refugees after a stint in Madagascar in 1983. Mayor Bonnie Rietz and her family were in Madagascar and she had been helping refugees that came to Austin. Larsen took over Rietz's work.

"The first refugees I helped were from Cambodia. It was a family with two little boys. I was committed to helping them and they called me mom," Larsen said. "I would go to any length to help these people."

Different churches in the Austin area sponsored families that were forced to leave their countries because of turmoil, economic reasons or other circumstances. Larsen said that Austin has been very good on a one on one basis in helping those families that have had to leave the familiarity of their homelands and start new lives in the United States. Through her work with helping families, Larsen was in close touch with other people who helped refugees.

"Sue Grove, who started the English as a Second Language program at the college helped families. She is a recipient of the Human Rights award. Phyliss and Al Knutson helped families too. Through my teaching at the college, especially teaching a Cultural Diversity class, and my knowledge of German and French, this has helped me a lot in communicating with families," Larsen said.

She has fond memories of the time she has spent with these families. A Japanese man calls Larsen his American sister. Lifelong friendships have developed with the people she has come into contact with.

"My knowledge of French and German has helped me with communicating with Russians, Vietnamese, Bosnians, Polish and Ukraine refugees. It is easier for me than other people in Austin. I especially like going to the supermarket with people from another country and they tell me the name of the foods in their language. I can remember the names. That is fun," Larsen said.

The Human Rights Commission will have a walk starting at 10:30 a.m. Monday from City Hall to St. Olaf Church. Those who do not want to take part in the walk can show up at St. Olaf Church where local speakers will address the community and present Larsen with her award. Music and a light lunch will follow.

Students learn about King through books, videos

Another teacher in Austin, Michael Veldman, a sixth grade instructor at Ellis Middle School has been reading aloud the book "The Life and Words of Martin Luther King, Jr," by Ira Peck to his students. All of his students have a book and they follow along with Veldman as he reads aloud and uses different accents and dialects to keep the students interested.

On Martin Luther King Day, Veldman will be reading part of King's famous March on Washington Speech. He also will have the children view archive footage on the race riots and peace marches.

The students have been enthusiastic and their attention rapt as the story has unfolded starting with the bus boycott in Mobile, Ala. They are learning new words such as segregation, civil rights, boycott, prejudice and emancipation.

"I thought it was interesting the courage Martin Luther King and others had to go through with the bus boycott. His life was threatened and he kept on going," Laura Heiny said.

The students say that they have seen prejudice within their peers and know that the work King started is still going on. They are enthralled with the story of King's life.

"I liked the way he stuck up for his people with love and non-violence even with all the names people called him," Jonathan Crape said.

"Yes," agreed Philip Ryks," even when a bomb was put on his porch, he kept going."

A test will be given to the students on the American Civil Rights movement. Learning about Martin Luther King, Jr. coincides with the students' study of Black History Month.

Veldman said he tells the truth in his teaching and when he shows film footage of that time, he warns the students about the language and violence especially when the "n" word is used to describe African Americans.

"What I want to get across to the students is to look at someone by who that person is and not by the person's race. I hear unfair judgements that people make because they are Mexican, black or Chinese. If someone does something you don't like, don't blame it on the person's race. The whole race is not that way, the person is that way," Veldman said.

The students on a whole are very good hearted, Veldman said. He loves teaching and has taught for 11 years. He sees in his students the future.

"They are the future citizens who will be making decisions. They are our future leaders and politicians. I want them to have a background of non-judgmental behavior. They are smart kids and they understand this stuff," Veldman said.

Sheila Donnelly can be reached at 434-2232 or by e-mail at :mailto:newsroom@austindailyherald.com