To many people, Martin Luther King Jr. Day means many different things. For some, it’s just a day off, but for most of us, it is a time to reflect and remember Dr. King himself. At Wilmington Friends School, everyone participated in two different activities on the afternoon of January 19th. All of these activities were in someway related to Dr. King’s work. The activities ranged from bioethics debates, to informing presentations on fake news in the media.

Dr. King spent his entire life fighting for racial equality and social justice. When he was alive, the world was a very different place, where anywhere you went, there was racial segregation. Even though Dr. King’s words were incredibly powerful and just, not everyone agreed, and he was fatally shot the day after he said in a public speech, “Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land!” All of Dr. King’s speeches were powerful and promoted love and peace.

Jordan Carter ’17, a member and clerk of African American Affinity, is always willing to speak about race. When questioned about what MLK Day means to him, Carter stated, “MLK day means to me, a day where we can focus less on our differences and more on our similarities through understanding and partnership. I enjoyed all of the activities and thought that this year offered something different for everyone, and will be excited for future Friends students to partake in similar activities next year.” Hopefully, our clubs can maintain the level of excellence that we’ve set for ourselves.

Head of school, Mr. Aldridge explained how all of the Friends schools celebrated MLK Day. Here’s what he said: “For me, I get to witness 3 different versions of MLK Day celebration. The Lower School has a Peace March, led by the Kindergarten students as the division heads to meeting for worship. The Middle School has a MLK-themed meeting for worship, and the Upper School has meeting for worship, followed by workshops. In all three divisions, I see the power of student voice and agency. Together, students and teachers work together to promote Dr. King’s legacy and his commitment to social justice. The Upper School MLK Day is the last of the three celebrations, and I appreciate how both students and teachers are willing to engage one another in thoughtful dialogue.” Clearly, Mr. Aldridge believes that all of the celebrations were exceptional.

The day at Friends wouldn’t have happened without the help of Gustavo Silveira ’17, and QUEST Student Diversity Committee advisor, Mr. Morton. The pair spent many hours together and made the day incredibly successful. Commenting on the day’s success, Silveira noted, “I am involved with the QUEST Student Diversity Committee, which is advised by Donald Morton. He asked for some technological help to work out the logistics of the workshops, so I provided it. Mr. Morton, of course, is incredibly busy, so I put together some simple digital tools to help him.” MLK Day is important to Silveira, who added, “MLK Day, to me, represents a series of remarkable opportunities. First, that the school would dedicate already-scarce time to allow students to teach other students about the topics for which they are passionate. Secondly, the teach-ins represent a celebration of sorts, the affirmation that all the students in our community can CHOOSE to learn about topics which in some way connect to social justice issues. But more importantly, the workshops represent to me a commitment not just to honoring King’s legacy, but to BUILDING upon it, by bringing together young people of different backgrounds to learn and discuss about the issues which they want to.” MLK Day also means a lot to Mr. Morton. He added, “It means everything. I am old enough to remember when the idea of a holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. was controversial, so the fact that we show respect in this way for such a great American is very special. It was an idea of mine to develop a upper school Diversity Committee this year. It made sense for me to advise the committee as one of my duties as the Upper School QUEST Coordinator.” For all students at Friends, MLK Day has a deeper meaning. The day reminds us of the qualities that Dr. King preached, but it also reminds us of the Quaker Testimonies: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship. Hopefully, in years to come we will continue to celebrate the meaning of MLK Day.