Celebrating MLK Jr.
January 16, 2023
All,
I hope you are all enjoying the long weekend. We have two significant holidays this week. Both are of great importance to many at Waverly and around the world. Waverly is currently closed in observance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and will celebrate Lunar New Year later this week. This communication will focus on the legacy of Dr. King and another communication will discuss our plans for Lunar New Year.
Although today is marked by a day of rest from school, it’s a great day to reflect on the legacy of Dr. King and participate in some simple acts of service. He dedicated much of his adult life to supporting the Civil Rights Movement and did so at the request of others. He did not start the movement, nor did the movement end with his murder. Rather, he answered the call to support the work of people across the country to transform the social and political experiences of Black Americans. This movement accelerated struggles for peace and justice around the world.
Dr. King’s commitment to Love and Justice is a clear inspiration for us at Waverly. Our mission statement invites students to develop “a strong awareness of personal responsibility, and an active commitment to social justice.” That invitation starts with small acts of care for others and demands that we learn about those who came before us in the struggle to make the United States a place that embraces all people. Please take a look at the MLK Jr. resources collected here. They provide a great opportunity to learn more about the phases of Dr. King’s work. You can also read Letter From A Birmingham Jail, which encapsulates much of Dr. King’s philosophy and articulates the logic behind civil disobedience as a political response to oppression. You can listen to Dr. King read the letter here.
Waverly students will have a number of opportunities to learn about Dr. King tomorrow at school. I will run a special assembly for 3 – 6 graders to talk about the life and work of Dr. King and middle and high school students will have a social justice forum. As a school committed to social justice, it is essential that we continue to develop opportunities and programs that create “an equitable and diverse school community where members are better informed, more empathetic, and better prepared to effect positive change in the world.” I look forward to each Waverly student developing a greater sense of how they can contribute today, tomorrow, and every other day.
In community,
Clarke Weatherspoon
Head of School