Martin Luther King Jr. Events Focus on Action and Advocacy

Kimball Union Academy will host a series of events to honor the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and engage in important conversations surrounding action and advocacy.

On Monday, January 18, the Academy will pause from its regular class schedule to participate in workshops and discussions. Lawrence Alexander, director of equity and inclusion with the educational consulting firm Carney, Sandoe & Associates, will provide a keynote address at 9 AM. Alexander works with schools and organizations around issues of equitable decision making, implicit bias, inclusive hiring, and culturally responsive curricula. He has previously worked both in higher education and in independent schools in roles in college counseling and diversity, equity, and inclusion. You can watch Alexander’s address on KUA Live.
 
“We are so fortunate to have Mr. Alexander joining us on Monday,” said Alexis Liston ’03, dean of community and belonging, who leads the MLK Committee. “We look forward to his talk which will focus on youth activists and what we can do as every day citizens to engage in every day diversity, equity, and inclusion work in our own communities.”
 
Following the keynote address, students and faculty will participate in workshops including:
 
  • Youth Activists: Everyday Advocates with Lawrence Alexander
  • Protests, Marches, and Movements from Selma to BLM
  • Getting the Conversation Started
  • Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee: Youth Activism 
 
In addition, the community will view the film Selma this weekend and engage in small-group discussions led by dorm parents in a lead-up to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
 
"This year the MLK planning began in the fall with a group of students and faculty who were eager to expand upon what we have done in the past to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King,” says Liston. “A few guiding principles shaped our planning. First, the students in the committee were eager for us to pause from the regular routine to spend more time engaging in conversations about Dr. King's work and the ongoing struggle for racial equity in our country. We also want to ensure that this work extends before and beyond the actual day. The committee really focused on ways our community can continue the conversations about racial equity

The MLK Committee is comprised of Dean of Community and Belonging Alexis Liston ’03, students Kate ’22, Clyde ’22, Jingbang ’21, Sophie ’21, Sophie ’22, Jintao ’22, Hanna ’21, Nathaly ’21; as well as History Department Chair Bill Diamond, Associate Director of Admission Whit Willocks, Dean of Students Eric Russman P’20 ’24, Spanish Teacher Joshua Hunnewell, Learning Center and History Teacher Bryant Harris ’04, and Advancement Officer Maura Doyle ’13.
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