Millbrook Honors Martin Luther King Jr.

Millbrook School paused on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, spending the day around campus reflecting on the great civil rights leader’s legacy through a full slate of symposium programming.

The symposium began in the Chelsea Morrison Theater with a viewing of “King in the Wilderness,” a documentary about the final years of Dr. King’s life by Millbrook alums the Kunhardt brothers—Peter 01, Teddy ’04, and George ’05. Before the screening, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Patrice King addressed the gathered students and faculty, setting the tone by reminding everyone to be present and respectful while participating in the day’s events.

After the film, students separated into small breakout workshops with their faculty advisors. In the first workshop, students created “Calling in Cards.” Inspired by the work of artist Adrian Piper and activist Loretta J. Ross, the cards featured personalized messages designed to initiate communication around being othered, pulling people into a productive conversation rather than simply calling them out for their mistakes.

The second workshop centered on Dr. King’s speech to a group of students at Philadelphia’s Barratt Junior High School, titled “What Is Your Life’s Blueprint?” The workshop led participants to think about their goals and values and then create blueprints for their lives based on their reflections. The blueprint activity and speech mesh perfectly with Millbrook’s mission of ensuring every student is known, needed, and prepared for a life of meaning and consequence. As Dr. King said at Barratt Junior High School:

The symposium ended with a series of performances by Millbrook’s Black Student Union (BSU) in the theater. Through poetry readings, dance and step routines, and a short skit, the BSU put a bow on the symposium, artistically reinforcing the principles discussed throughout the day.