The Academy’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming began on Monday, January 15 with an engaging presentation by Daryl Davis, a blues musician who has spent the past 30 years engaging with Ku Klux Klan members in an effort to find out the answer to his question: How can you hate me when you don't even know me? He discussed his encounters meeting with Ku Klux Klan members around the country and attending their rallies as an African American man. Mr. Davis told the community that after years of knowing different members of the Ku Klux Klan, over 200 of them have given up their “robes”. He wrote the book, Klan-destine Relationships about his experiences with the Ku Klux Klan.
To read and/or listen to NPR’s interview with Mr. Davis, please click here.
The conversation continued after Mr. Davis’ presentation when students gathered in breakout groups across campus. Underclassmen took part in a social justice activity and workshop led by Academy Anti-Defamation League leaders, while upperclassmen met for workshops with “Boston Mobilization,” a group which develops and empowers teen leaders for social justice.
While students (and some faculty members) met in their breakout groups, faculty attended a workshop titled “The Language of Gender” with John Gentile. This workshop was a professional development opportunity for faculty to learn how to develop the language and cultural competencies around the topic of gender in ways that allow them to better serve their students while understanding the rapidly changing landscape of equity and inclusion at independent schools.
Students met in their advisory groups after lunch to process the day’s events, workshops, and activities in a smaller setting. The day concluded with an open-mic community gathering in the Wilkie Center. In the spirit of the theme of the day, empathy, students, faculty, and staff were invited to share a poem, a song, an experience, or a few words of meaning to them . The open-mic session, orchestrated by Governor’s students, was a wonderful way to wrap up the day. Students were affirmed, listening to one another and sharing stories that exemplified the inclusive nature of the Academy’s community.
Dean of Multicultural Education Jadi Taveras, who organized the day’s program, said "This year our MLK Day program was centered around empathy. On Monday we focused on the ability to work with and listen to those who have opposing views or perspectives while further educating our selves on gender identity and racial relations. Our community was moved by Mr. Davis' modeling of empathetic behavior and his message that ‘if you're talking to one another, you're not fighting.’ It was a meaningful day for all of us.”