“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'”

These words were pronounced at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial by the illustrious Martin Luther King in 1963. Some fifty years later, Wilmington Friends School, spent January 18th, 2016 celebrating the life of a man dedicated to civil rights activism through an entire school-wide teach-in.

This year, fellow students and teachers led students through fourteen workshops on ethical and social issues today. Donald Morton, overall organizer, looked in particular to continue MLK’s “ideas of collaboration and compassion,” and give students “a feeling that their school is looking for ways to expand our learning model(s).” When asked about the organization of the afternoon, Katy Shannon ‘17 replied, “I thought the planning process for the MLK celebration was great! It was very organized and efficient”. Throughout the afternoon, students rotated between two different workshops, followed by a shared meeting for worship. “As a new student, I didn’t know what to expect, but it turned out to both fun and educational,” stated Serena Gutsche ‘18. Students were able to attend workshops with topics ranging from discussing Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new book, Between the World and Me, to learning about “police (mis)conduct”, to understanding the political scene today, thanks to the initiative of motivated students and faculty at Friends.

How these workshops were organized differed between workshop. Amnesty International club co-clerk Joslyn Gardner ‘16 discussed how they planned their workshop eagerly in club meetings. This year’s topic: gun control. One day before the event, Gardner stated, “Amnesty International plans on doing an activity that will inform students on the gun laws in the US and abroad. We did research on different states and countries, and created characters who would try to buy a gun there .” In the workshop, students role played characters with various backgrounds, including having mental health problems or a criminal record, and explored in which states they could buy a gun. Afterwards, the clerks de-briefed the students. “I was really surprised by how much they had to say,” reflected Gardner. “People were shocked by how easy it was for potentially dangerous people to buy a gun”. “And they found out anyone can buy a gun in Texas…” added Tessa Beardell ‘17 with a laugh.

Friends students also enjoyed other workshops. “My favorite workshop was the GSA one, “Personifying Privilege”, because it was super interactive, really personal and also informative,” stated Erica Rodi ‘17. Katy Shannon ’17, said that her favorite workshop was the one hosted by the feminist club, Half the Sky, “My favorite workshop was the feminism workshop, because it managed to be super educational without being really boring and just spewing facts and statistics.” The Best Buddies workshop was also a favorite for some. “My favorite workshop was probably Best Buddies because the subject was very touching,” states Sandrine Haab ‘18, “It was nice that we got to go to two different workshops and explore and learn about topics that use MLK’s mentality without them being necessarily about what he did.” All three of these workshops were organized and run by students.

Looking towards the future, students look forward to more MLK Days and possibly other teach-ins. “I think it’s a great idea to spend a day honoring the service others have done. It would be really fun if we could do something like this again, maybe for another leader/ activist,” states Rodi. “I would also like it if we celebrated another day in a similar way to the way we celebrate MLK day,” states Sandrine Haab ‘18, “these days bring us together as a student body and community and they teach us about topics we might not consider in our daily lives”.  When asked what they would like to see changed next year, students mentioned the possibility of attending more than just two workshops, since there were so many interesting ones offered this year.

Donald Morton hopes MLK’s legacy will be continued by WFS past the day of celebration, “I would love to see the different academic departments in the upper school integrate some of the themes and issues discussed today in their coursework,” he stated. As Gardner summed it up, “I think it is very important… to be involved in MLK day… to inform and learn about current issues, like gun control, like racism. This day is a great opportunity to discuss issues we don’t really get to talk about in school. Hopefully it makes people more open minded and informed when discussing these issues.” Wilmington Friends School looks forward to next year’s Martin Luther King teach-in as a continuation of this year’s successful sharing and learning, and as a fit celebration of a great leader.