Hearon Reflects on MLK Day at Tuesday’s Assembly

English instructor Todd Hearon shared an introspective meditation during Tuesday’s assembly on his personal identity and how viewing and learning about racism has changed him. Accompanied on the piano by his close friend and music instructor Jon Sakata, the two aimed to cause the audience to rethink the ways that racism is manifested in their own lives.

The meditation was originally read in 2011 around the same time, two weeks after MLK Day. As he stated at the beginning of the assembly, the meditation that was read has been a work in progress since he first shared it and evolves as his mindset continually changes. He said that due to the recent conversations about race on campus, the meditation had a renewed pertinence.

According to Hearon, one of his reasons for resurfacing an older piece was “to resist treating [MLK] day as an isolated event set aside to thinking and talking about matters of race and, more broadly, civil rights and liberties.” This idea has been one that many social activists, including Hearon and Sakata, have been trying to combat since Academy’s MLK Day activities began several decades ago.

Since 2011, Hearon has edited his speech to emphasize the need for collective involvement. “It’s a defense one hears occasionally, ‘Don’t blame me, my family didn’t own slaves.’ Or ‘My family wasn’t even in this country when all that happened.’ Or ‘My people have had problems of their own,’” he said. He wanted to stress that just because one wasn’t directly involved in the making of the problem, it doesn’t mean they can’t make an effort to solve it.

“Mr. Hearon’s smooth and captivating speaking voice had me hanging on to every word, amplifying his already powerful message."

Sakata, who is currently working on an upcoming meditation on this topic, said that Hearon’s meditation resonated for him in a profound way because his mother, who recently passed away, was interned in Arkansas during World War II on account of her Japanese heritage. He said that America’s history is inextricably intertwined with racism. “We see in the conversations, arguments, discussions: how not only are we living with it, but it is part of our history as a country,” he said. “It surfaced for [Hearon] when he saw the Confederate flag.”

Sakata urged Exeter not to forget that the North also had slaves. “What knowledge has been buried? Why don’t we speak of Northeast slavery in the same way that we speak of the South?” he said.

He said that listening to Hearon speak about the Confederate flag flying above the Exeter river made him think of the North’s role in the slave trade. “One of the great educations I received in moving first to Boston and then to Exeter is how powerful slavery was in the Northeast,” said Sakata. “Mr. Hearon mentioned the symbol [of the Confederate flag] on the river, and I immediately thought about the stain of racism on the Northeast.”

Sakata also said that the piece he played on the piano complemented Hearon’s meditation. Called “Für Alina,” it was written by the Estonian composer Arvo Part who spent most of his life under the oppressive Soviet regime. “I think the piece expresses the haunting of oppression, yet at the same time there is an openness about it that is really poignant,” he said, drawing parallels between the piece and Hearon’s contemplative meditation. Students responded to Hearon’s speech with an open-mindedness brought about by his poetic interpretation of racist comments and acts. For some, it was a chance to hear a different perspective than what they have heard recently on MLK Day and the following speeches and programs. Prep Ursula Sze said, “The talk about the racism around the world drew me in. I didn’t really much know about this, coming from Hong Kong, and it was interesting to learn about what’s going on in the world, which is one purpose of an assembly.”

For others, the speech was thought-provoking. Prep Bella Hillman said, “Mr. Hearon emphasized how joking about subjects like race and religion somewhat gives people the okay to do so. It made me think about how we don’t really think about what we say sometimes and how it could potentially hurt people.”

Presentation also contributed to Hearon’s success in delivering a meditation about such deep issues. The audience was captivated by his storytelling. Lower Athena Stenor said, “I was drawn in by the shocking moments of his piece, like when he was describing the snow and then abruptly described the sight of the Confederate flag.”  The way that Hearon spoke in front of the students also enthralled the audience and helped to convey his message.

Upper Raul Galvan said, “Mr. Hearon’s smooth and captivating speaking voice had me hanging on to every word, amplifying his already powerful message. I can’t really place it, but the music was the perfect accompaniment, simple and beautiful just like the meditation.”