MLK Analysis: Did We Learn?
“We needed to craft a program that would shed light on harsh realities, while tending a flame of hope,” wrote Thomas Simpson, MLK committee chair, as he reflected on the colossal task of planning the Academy’s 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Day events. “To carry Dr. King’s work forward in the 21st century, we have to think as broadly, creatively, and synthetically as he and his colleagues did.”
This past Friday, Exonians celebrated MLK day by discussing issues of social justice at several workshops and speeches.
The day commenced with a keynote address from musician John Forté, who graduated from Exeter’s class of 1993. He projected a relaxed and vulnerable demeanor, offering a moving speech, followed by music, which resonated with many students. Upper Caroline Sullivan thought that Forté aptly reminded Exonians of their privilege, and how they might use it. “He sent a similar message to the one Ms. Salcedo has been stressing—that we need to be aware of how we’re using that privilege in the real world when it comes to all kinds of issues, including racial ones,” Sullivan said.
Upper Adam Mackay also lauded Forté because he had both a thrilling story and a relatable one, as an ideal speaker for MLK Day. “The school has done a great job in finding people who we can not only relate to, such as John Forté, an Exeter graduate, but finding people whose stories we also wish to connect with,” he said.
After the keynote address, students moved on to the morning and afternoon workshops. Excluding Bryan Stevenson’s required presentation, the most attended workshop was English instructor Todd Hearon’s performance of his original composition Crows in Eden. The play focused on the town of Eden in Tennessee, its expulsion of all African-Americans 100 years ago and the aftermath of that decision.
“What Stevenson had to say was highly unusual, highly passionate about something worth being passionate about and beautifully controlled and constructed to the point where sometimes you could almost hear dust motes move, it was so quiet.”
Religion instructor Russell Weatherspoon said, “I was very glad that Mr. Hearon felt moved to write about that period in American history, and to try to provide character and voice to it... that’s not really a history that’s going to go away; it’s going to go on informing the ways that people understand one another, and the way they understand the nation.”
Weatherspoon said that talking about this issue specifically helped educate the audience about how the history of racial discrimination in America has led up to the current events concerning racial injustice. “We have this other, additional history that a lot of people don’t understand, which informs, in a way, the mistrust that helps make what we watched in Ferguson possible,” Weatherspoon said.
Students felt that through the performance, issues of racial injustices were conveyed well. Mackay said, “Personally, I thought that this workshop was very successful in revealing the message of injustice among races through the cruel and inhumane events that took place.”
Another seminar was Carleton Mackey’s talk: Arts and Social Change. Regarding Mackey’s presentation, Dean of Multicultural Affairs Rosanna Salcedo said, “I think it's a topic worthy of discussion. Most of us put so much emphasis on physical appearance, and our identity, and ideas about worthiness are so tied in with that. I think it's worth spending time thinking about what drives our ideas about beauty.”
Upper Caroline Sullivan enjoyed the flow of the workshop, from Mackey’s presentation into an open discussion. “We ended up having a really nice, fluid conversation about race.” Caroline added that the discussion left the audience thinking about what it means to form racial identity, and that “[Mackey] really stressed that we should be aware of how we perceive ourselves compared to others in order to start breaking down preconceptions based on race, gender, etc. that we subconsciously form just at a glance.”
Students also attended If You Really Knew Me, an event hosted by Exonian Encounters, in which students stood in a circle and walked into the center of the event space when they heard a statement that applied to them. The workshop shed light on the similarities and differences that Exonians share, and just how much the student body does not know about one another. Lower Lauren Wilson commented on how she got to know different people and realized that she is not alone in the struggles she faces. Wilson said, “We should all try to be more honest and open with each other, as well as more understanding of where each of us comes from. We’re really diverse, but that doesn’t mean we’re necessarily so different.”
Can We Talk?, a workshop introduced this year, featured a student facilitated discussion where the audience watched a panel of students discuss issues surrounding race at Exeter, and current events in the United States. While the dialogue was rich, some students felt that their specific opinion was not mentioned. Lower Grant Cammock said, “It was hard for the audience to voice their opinion, and some did not appreciate that. They wanted this workshop to be an opportunity for everyone to express their opinion and concerns, but were not able to.” But Cammock has high hopes for the future of this style of workshop. “I believe it will and can only get better, once we find a way to get everyone engaged,” he said.
The workshop that seemed to leave the biggest mark on Exeter was the presentation given by Bryan Stevenson, a human rights lawyer who spoke about his experience fighting for prisoners’ rights. His speech left an overwhelming impact on the Exeter community. Numerous students and faculty said that it was the best speech they had ever heard in person. Through his use of powerful anecdotes, Stevenson was able to convey his messages and themes about racism and injustice in the country in a compelling way. “[The anecdotes] were stories you could not have anticipated at all how they were going to resolve, and as they resolved particularly in the direction of maintaining hope and maintaining one’s awareness for other people’s humanity, they were breathtaking,” Weatherspoon said. He added, “What Stevenson had to say was highly unusual, highly passionate about something worth being passionate about and beautifully controlled and constructed to the point where sometimes you could almost hear dust motes move, it was so quiet.”
Although Stevenson’s subject matter was saddening, the audience was left with hope for the future. Religion instructor Thomas Ramsey said, “His themes of the need for having ‘proximity to suffering,’ for ‘changing the narrative’ about race, poverty, and crime, and above all, for ‘changing our metric of a successful life,’ all spoke powerfully to me and to so many others in the Assembly Hall, and gave us grounds for always staying hopeful in the effort to overcome ignorance, fear, hatred, and injustice.”
“People were riveted, and riveted more than simply by the great skill of his engaging with them, but by the content of what he was saying, and the realization that they as people could act on this,” Weatherspoon added. “And when that happens, when people end up feeling that level of possibility in themselves, that’s astonishing.”
Others echoed Ramsey’s sentiments when they reflected upon the day as a whole; along with retaining hope, many agreed that it was imperative to continue the discussions that had been started on MLK Day.
Upper Hannah Kim, who attended the If You Really Knew Me workshop said, “Now that the ice has been broken, I hope that students can reach out across their dorms and communities and talk honestly with their friends about their own lives, cheesy as it sounds.”
However, feelings were mixed regarding whether discussion would actually carry on. While applauding MLK Day, Marcus Polk said, “Unfortunately, in my experience, people have responded to discussion with ignorance, staunch resistance, indifference and/or irritation. In all honesty, understanding and empathy can't be forced on anyone, and I'm hopeful but somewhat pessimistic that with time, discussion will continue and things will change.”
Prep Oge Ezekwenna pointed out that some of the groups, like ALES [Afro-Latino Exonian Society] and YMF [Young Men’s Forum], are working to continue these conversations. “They’re going to touch a lot of people’s hearts, and I think more people are going to find interest in this type of topic and educate themselves more about it,” she said.
Some pointed out that race is an inherently difficult topic to discuss, making dialogue more uncomfortable. Lower Zea Eanet said, “We have never been taught how to talk about race inoffensively, which of course makes it a very difficult subject to bring up.” Though it will be hard to crack this barrier, Eanet believes that MLK day helped. “It'll be a while before it's truly easy to have these discussions, but I think, perhaps optimistically, that it will now be easier to have fluid conversations about race in our community,” Eanet said.
Lower Sydney Yoon added, “From the people I've talked to so far about MLK day, they've responded really well, and many people actually became interested on the subject and began researching. I think the discussion will continue for longer than the usual assembly speakers, at least.”
When asked whether she believed that campus discussions about race would continue, Kesi Wilson replied: “I do hope so. It’s hard for the student body to continue discussion, and I don't blame us. We're busy, and thinking about injustices is a daunting task, because there are so many that are intertwined with one another. But I think, even if it doesn't last forever, brains will be thinking on campus for a very long time.”
“Developing social consciousness is not something you do in one day, it's part of our lifelong development,” Salcedo stressed. “I believe thinking about social issues should be a daily practice. We do not live in silos, we live in communities, and whether you want to believe it or not, we are interdependent, so thinking about how our words and actions affect others, and thinking about our impact in and beyond our community, is crucial.”
Contributions from Eric Tang