Academy Hosts 23rd Annual MLK Day

From white privilege to rape in the military, to cultural conversations about hair, Exonians will spend Friday honoring the legacy of civil rights launched by the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.This year’s theme will focus on the radical side of King’s works. The day will begin with a keynote speech stemming from this subject by author, social activist and educator Lorene Cary. Cary is the author of the widely acclaimed Black Ice, a memoir chronicling her experience as one of the first African-American female students to attend St. Paul’s School in the 1970s.“[MLK Day is] a national acknowledgement that the Civil Rights movement and its iconic leader moved the U.S. to deepen its founding principles,” Cary said. “[I hope] to create a text that is sufficiently fertile to allow different minds and hearts to receive more than one ‘message.’”Cary will use MLK’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in her speech to reflect honestly upon the difficult road to social justice. “I believe that it's one of the most important American freedom documents, one that yields new insights with each reading,” she said.History instructor and committee member Molly Mackean Davis said that Cary’s speech will help Exonians recall a more radical, challenging side to King’s work.“We often remember the spirit of unity and togetherness captured in King’s speech, but we don’t as often remember that the road to such progress can be difficult and uncomfortable. Social justice requires bold action, and King was very honest about that,” she said.“This year the committee was attracted to Ms. Cary’s idea of a radical MLK, and thinking about some of his work that is less known,” health instructor and committee member Michelle Soucy said.Additionally, students will attend a mandatory workshop called “Hair Me Out!” presented by nationally renowned educational consultant Derrick Gay, which will explore issues of race, sexual orientation and religion through the lens of hair.Students selected a second workshop from options including plays, documentaries and Q&A sessions.Among these workshops is a lecture on consumerism and race by Paul Gorski, who was invited to speak at Exeter after a group of Exeter teachers and administrators saw him speak at a White Privilege Conference.“I will be talking about my own challenges and figuring out how to make my day to day decisions about what I purchase, what I eat—how by wearing Nikes, eating meat from factory farms and drinking Coca-Cola products I was contributing to racism,” Gorski said.Rachel Rhoades ‘04 will lead a performance workshop with high school students in the Teen Leadership Council whom she has worked with.“Rachel’s work with her students is deeply inspiring. It is rare for us to have a workshop where high school students are leading high school students. I am curious to see what emerges in this theatrical space and convergence, what kind of identity negotiation will be created, and how PEA students—especially those not accustomed to performative acts—will engage with Rachel’s Teen Leadership students,” English instructor Mercedes Carbonell said.Many faculty members spoke to the importance of setting aside a day to reflect on MLK’s vision.“MLK day is not about promoting diversity. It is an attempt to raise consciousness about inequalities, and the social and economic injustices that exist in society today. One day is not enough, but it is perhaps the best we can do for now,” Associate Dean of Faculty Rosanna Salcedo said.Carbonell felt similarly. “Ultimately, this work still matters and must matter. Just last night, I spoke with a student about Gender and Leadership on campus—on the inequality she and her peers experience."She continued, "It calls on us to question ‘how blessed are our communities, here at PEA and all over the world? How many people live in poverty?