By Ben Pham ’27

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mercersburg students, faculty, and staff joined in celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King with programming emphasizing the theme of “Listen. Understand. Empower.”

The day opened with a keynote address by Loretta J. Ross, associate professor at Smith College and a 2023 National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee.

Professor Ross discussed the concept of “calling in” and “calling on” others as a dialogue-driven approach to positive change rooted in empathy, grace, and accountability. 

“Upon his arrival at Mercersburg, Mr. (Steven) Lee often spoke about Professor Ross and how timely and impactful her philosophy of ‘calling in’ is today,” said Jamar Galbreath ’05, P ’27, assistant director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Inspired by this, the MLK Day committee looked more closely at Professor Ross and her body of work and knew that she was a wonderful fit.” 

Many students agreed with that assessment.

“It's probably been my favorite (MLK Day) of my four years,” shared Alice Morgan ’26. “I really liked Professor Ross, she was really entertaining and engaging. The lesson of ‘calling in’ also really stuck with me and made me think about how I can change things in my daily life.”

Following Professor Ross’s keynote address, students funneled into advisory groups and engaged in facilitated discussions and reflection on Ross’s speech, along with an advisory Kahoot! challenge on the Civil Rights Movement. 

“My most memorable moment of the day was the advisory session after the keynote,” commented Revant Jear ’28. “We played Kahoot! on the Civil Rights Movement and MLK. After each question, our grade dean, Mr. Galbreath, would talk about the context to each question. Those bits of information gave a lot of insights that I never knew.”

For the afternoon programming, students chose from more than 20 sessions that allowed them to thoughtfully engage with Dr. King’s legacy, Black culture, and the Civil Rights Movement through history, dialogue, music, visual arts, service, and more.

“Our sessions come from our community, and I am so grateful to the students, staff, faculty, and guests who have thought deeply about and want to share how Dr. King's legacy continues to live on today,” Galbreath added. “The sessions offered are a reflection of our vibrant school community here at Mercersburg where we live our theme of ‘Listen. Understand. Empower.’ everyday.”

In closing the day, Dr. Tony Keith Jr. provided the final performance and reflection, using his poetry and educational leadership background to synthesize the day’s themes of social justice and dialogue.

“The closing performance was very poetic, and I liked how Dr. Keith Jr. incorporated the student body into the closing act,” said Ian Kim ’27, referring to a community poem written by those in attendance. “I also enjoyed my afternoon session since I felt it really connected with today’s theme of ‘Listen. Understand. Empower.’ My session was ‘Jazz and Swing’ with Mr. Beni and Mr. Bennett where we listened to jazz and learned to dance. Through this session, I understood the importance of Black artists such as Louis Armstrong, and that their accomplishments were so influential for modern music.”

Given the goals set beforehand, the day proved to be a successful learning experience, one that will continue to encourage thought-provoking dialogue and expanded perspective.

“I hope that our community will see beyond the often black-and-white photos of the Civil Rights Movement and connect the life and legacy to themselves in the here and now,” stated Galbreath. “I hope that we learn that Dr. King and the movement he so passionately and strategically led are deeply complex and nuanced.”