“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” With these words, Dr. King persevered in his pursuit of racial justice in hopes of paving a more equitable world for future generations. 

It has been decades since the Civil Rights movement, yet we are still witnessing countless racial injustices occur across the nation – most recently, the blatant display of deeply rooted white supremacy and anti-Blackness in our country at the breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6. This injustice, and many others, from the police brutality Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters faced last summer to the disproportionate coronavirus deaths of Black and indigenous people across the U.S., prompted the Harker community to reflect on our own role in the pervasiveness of racial injustice. 

It is undeniable that Harker has taken several important strides to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus since the killing of George Floyd in late May of last year. 

In the weeks following his death, Harker held a virtual vigil and a town hall for faculty, staff, parents, alumni and students to discuss the BLM protests and consider ways in which the Harker community perpetuates racial inequality. Last semester, seniors Brian Pinkston, Natasha Yen and Dylan Williams and junior Uma Iyer collaborated with administration to create the Student Diversity Coalition (SDC), the first institutionalized organization of its kind dedicated to creating a cohesive and equitable community culture at Harker. For the first time, groups such as the Black Student Union and the Latinx Affinity Group provide safe spaces for students to share their experiences. 

New courses, from the Black American Literature English elective to an ethnic studies history elective, brought powerful voices of people of color into the Harker curriculum. Just last Thursday, students, faculty, staff, administrators and board members took the Assessment of Inclusion and Multiculturalism (AIM) survey to inform Harker about community views on diversity.

Yet, despite these positive advancements, there is still more that can be done. For one, while the lower and middle school campuses held class discussions and attended assemblies honoring Dr. King’s legacy, the upper school campus did not formally celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This federal holiday provided an evident opportunity to facilitate education on Black history and to honor Black historical figures at the upper school. 

Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the upper school is integral to promoting racial equity within our community. Especially at the upper school level, learning about Dr. King’s legacy in a thorough and informed manner allows students to better understand America’s history of racism and examine the nuances of bridging the racial divide of today. 

Simple activities, such as reading Dr. King’s most famous rhetoric or conversing about his message of civil rights in a way that enriches perspectives on modern BLM movements, can further diversify the upper school community and lead to a more cohesive, caring culture. Even without a school-facilitated event, members of the upper school community can honor his legacy, from actively seeking to understand and acknowledge the experiences of Black peers to calling for people to be antiracist. 

In the words of Dr. King, “The time is always right to do what is right.” Let us continue to strive to be empathetic, open-minded individuals by holding school-wide discussions of Dr. King’s work and the work of other Black leaders.