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Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Jan 16, 2007 10:45 AM
By Tannika King - Faculty
The Darlington community celebrated the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during a student-led assembly Monday morning. At the assembly, students of all ages and races illustrated the importance of the civil rights movement through short stories, poetry, photographs and song.
Guest speaker Victor Morgan, retired public school administrator, gave a personal account of what it was like growing up in the age of civil rights. “I remember when Martin Luther King was killed in 1968. There were riots everywhere, and I was scared for the future of this country,” he recalled. “We’ve come a long way, but there are still challenges in terms of gender, ethnicity and disability. That’s why it’s so important to have a sense of community. Communities must come together to support individuals, especially in times of trouble. And I urge every one of you – you can do anything you want to if you work at it. Nobody can hold you down if you’re standing up straight.”
Students also read bios of other significant civil rights leaders such as Emmett Till, the Little Rock 9, Medgar Evers, Julius Rosenwald, Marcus Garvey, Jerrica McCrary and gave a historical account of the Greensboro Sit-in. Senior Jollica Thomas read a poem by Maya Angelou and freshman Bonnie Blumenti sang a rendition of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
After a slide show depicting important images from the civil rights era, seniors Tiffany Dempsey and Marlowe Brant shared their dreams for Darlington.
“In my World Religions class last week, we heard an interview given by a student from Davidson who, until she went to college, only knew one person with a different religious view than the one she had,” said Dempsey. “At Darlington, we are all given the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and religious backgrounds on a daily basis. How many people can say, ‘One of my best friends in high school was from Germany’ or ‘There is a really awesome girl in my Calculus class from Indonesia?’ I could go on and on with examples from personal experiences I alone have had. I hope that in the future everyone at Darlington will be able to recognize just how lucky we all are to be in this environment of incredible cultural diversity and that we have been given a chance that most people do not receive until very late in their lives, if they receive it at all.”
The assembly closed with a segment of Dr. King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” Several students also participated in the City of Rome’s Martin Luther King Day march on Broad Street, which attracted nearly 400 participants.
Guest speaker Victor Morgan, retired public school administrator, gave a personal account of what it was like growing up in the age of civil rights. “I remember when Martin Luther King was killed in 1968. There were riots everywhere, and I was scared for the future of this country,” he recalled. “We’ve come a long way, but there are still challenges in terms of gender, ethnicity and disability. That’s why it’s so important to have a sense of community. Communities must come together to support individuals, especially in times of trouble. And I urge every one of you – you can do anything you want to if you work at it. Nobody can hold you down if you’re standing up straight.”
Students also read bios of other significant civil rights leaders such as Emmett Till, the Little Rock 9, Medgar Evers, Julius Rosenwald, Marcus Garvey, Jerrica McCrary and gave a historical account of the Greensboro Sit-in. Senior Jollica Thomas read a poem by Maya Angelou and freshman Bonnie Blumenti sang a rendition of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”
After a slide show depicting important images from the civil rights era, seniors Tiffany Dempsey and Marlowe Brant shared their dreams for Darlington.
“In my World Religions class last week, we heard an interview given by a student from Davidson who, until she went to college, only knew one person with a different religious view than the one she had,” said Dempsey. “At Darlington, we are all given the opportunity to meet people from different cultures and religious backgrounds on a daily basis. How many people can say, ‘One of my best friends in high school was from Germany’ or ‘There is a really awesome girl in my Calculus class from Indonesia?’ I could go on and on with examples from personal experiences I alone have had. I hope that in the future everyone at Darlington will be able to recognize just how lucky we all are to be in this environment of incredible cultural diversity and that we have been given a chance that most people do not receive until very late in their lives, if they receive it at all.”
The assembly closed with a segment of Dr. King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” Several students also participated in the City of Rome’s Martin Luther King Day march on Broad Street, which attracted nearly 400 participants.
