On January 24th, three days after MLK day, the Intercultural Club planned a student assembly honoring Martin Luther King. The assembly also featured responses from the student body about what MLK meant to them. About a week before the assembly, all the upper school students submitted note cards that answered questions about Martin Luther King. The Intercultural Club contacted all the club leaders to read the note cards anonymously.

“The point of getting all the club leaders to read the note cards, was so that most of the student body would be represented,” said Lucia Garcia, the IC secretary.

After students came in and sat down, they were asked to watch a video about the importance of MLK. Then, the leaders of IC gave an introduction about what they hoped to accomplish with the assembly. After this, the student leaders of each club came up and read the note cards of their fellow peers. All the note cards were chosen specifically for a reason and they all talked about different things, from how MLK’s work had allowed them to attend SPA to how MLK was one of their most important role models.

After the note cards were read students had an opportunity to talk about their new opinions and perspectives about MLK day to the students next to them. Then, students were able to go on an open mic at the front of the auditorium and talk about the discussions that they had. Many students pointed out how they appreciated how thoughtful the SPA community was when talking about race, both inside and outside of the classroom.

Overall, the assembly allowed for students to learn more about the importance of MLK and how we can continue to work towards the vision he had for society.