Exeter Invites Gen Z Activists for MLK Day

Exeter will celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., (MLK) Day on Friday, Jan. 18, dedicating the entire morning to this year’s theme, “Gen Z Activism,” to showcase how young adults have participated in social activism within their communities. For the first time in PEA history, student speakers will also be staying in student dormitories on Thursday night.

All Exonians will attend a keynote address in the morning and two workshops in the afternoon. This year’s keynote speaker is Andrea Taylor, President and CEO of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute (BCRI) and a trustee of Boston University, The HistoryMakers and New York Public Radio. 

“It’s about showcasing the various young people around the world doing incredible activism today as a muse to inspire Exonians to tap into that aspect of their lives,” Yang said. 

Co-chair of the MLK Day Planning Committee and Religion Instructor Hannah Hofheinz lauded Taylor’s expansive knowledge in both the history of activism and current movements through her work with students in the BCRI. “Our keynote speaker is a remarkable woman with a lot of expertise and wisdom,” Hofheinz said. 

Along with the keynote, all students will attend the documentary screening of Precious Knowledge, filmed by Eren McGinnis, which features Tucson High School’s struggle in retaining its Mexican American Raza Studies Department in 2008-2009. While their efforts were unsuccessful and the department was ultimately removed, McGinnis underlined the importance and impact of educating students about Mexican American culture and history. 

For the rest of the day, students will attend the workshops they selected through an all-school online form in December. The focus of these workshops range from what it means to be a productive ally to creating art for social change. 

The night before Friday’s main events, student leaders from the BCRI will stay overnight in various dorms to further connect with the Exeter community. Tonight, Jan. 17, Exonians will also present “UnSilenced,” a performance that features students’ cultural or racial experiences through various styles of artistic expression.

Hofheinz hopes that hosting BCRI students in dorms will further show Exonians that students of their age have the ability to make an impact. “They are our peers with this idea of Gen Z activism and what it means to have high schoolers step into their own and form their own networks and tackle the world in the way you all see it needs to be tackled,” she said. “[The goal] is to build those relationships.”

Senior and member of the MLK Day Planning Committee Elizabeth Yang said that by focusing the day on Gen Z activism, the committee hopes to equip students with the tools needed to become more involved in social justice. “It’s about showcasing the various young people around the world doing incredible activism today as a muse to inspire Exonians to tap into that aspect of their lives,” Yang said. 

According to Co-chair of the MLK Day Planning Committee and English Instructor Mercedes Carbonell, student-led movements such as Black Lives Matter and March for Our Lives highlight the current relevance of youth taking action for the committee. “Listening to our MLK [Day Planning Committee] student members, I am hearing a call not merely for dialogue but also for action,” she said.

To engage all Exonians, the committee chose a diverse group of speakers that would cater to a variety of students. “We were conscious of creating workshops that appealed to a lot of different types of people,” senior and MLK Day Planning Committee member Chandler Jean-Jacques said. “We really tried to make the focus of each event different so that everyone can find something that speaks to them.”

At the workshop “Asian American Activism: Where Do We Fit?” alumna Julie Chung ’16 will explore the role of Asian Americans in social justice and racial conversations today. As a junior at Harvard University, Chung studies social anthropology and also participates in, leads and writes about various initiatives to support women and people of color. Yang said, “I have witnessed and learned about her activism at Exeter and also beyond. That’s why I thought it was a great idea for us to reach out to her and invite her back with our theme of Gen Z Activism. She’s one of the young activists we know and actually interacted with.”

To address the complexities of race and the police in America, the committee invited two black police officers, South Carolina Police Officer Aaron Allston and State Trooper Chris Houston. At this workshop, students and invited speakers will discuss the relationship between police forces and the communities they work in as well as racial dynamics within the police department. 

Upper and Vice President of the Afro Latinx Exonian Society Johan Martinez will introduce Allston and Houston. “I am excited to see their perspective on shootings and other unjust murders,” Martinez said. 

Hofheinz hopes the day will bring the community together as well as help Exeter as a whole think about questions of race and how the school can fit into the story of creating change. “It is an experience for the Exeter community to have an opportunity to be with one another in the midst of these questions,” she said. “I hope that MLK Day this year will give that moment of being and thinking and doing together, [and give Exonians the opportunity to] hear each other.”