MLK Assembly in Review: A Positive Outlook

-Keynote speaker and poet, Christian Paige makes an appearance as the guest speaker for the MLK Assembly at LSHS

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Photo courtesy of Creative Commons

Can you make a difference in the world? Yes you can! The third Monday of January is used to celebrate a great man by the name of Martin Luther King Jr. who made a difference in the world just as you can. King fought to end segregation and racism in America, and caused a huge civil rights movement outbreak. He gave speeches that caused a spark of change, one famous one being his ‘I have a Dream’ speech. “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” states King in his speech.

“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward”(Martin Luther King Jr.). Martin Luther King Jr. is someone who fought for human rights and to end segregation. He made a huge difference in the world. He fought even though he was thrown in jail multiple times and hated by many at the time, these things and events didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream. His dream for his kids to not be judged by the color of their skin and to have equal opportunities as whites.

Dr. King is someone who is praised and celebrated in the modern world today; we get the third Monday of January off to celebrate him and his achievements. Schools also hold assemblies to talk about King’s success and how they were affected by what he accomplished.

Here at LSHS, we had the privilege of having Christian Paige as our guest speaker for the 2018 MLK assembly. Paige is a keynote speaker and poet from Tacoma, Washington, which made for a different and interesting assembly.

Paige shared a couple personal stories, one of a cliche love experience. He connected these stories to King by talking about how he wouldn’t have any of this if it wasn’t for King and how King inspired him.

He also read some of his poetry that he wrote, which I found this very different and refreshing, personally, because it was something new and a different way for students to receive information in a way that drew your attention. When he read his poems, he was almost rapping which caught students’ attention.

One major thing that Paige wanted students to take from this assembly was as he put it, ‘Don’t celebrate King Monday, emulate him’. He emphasized  that we shouldn’t celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. but to instead to match or surpass the achievements King made and to keep his dream alive by pushing and standing up instead of being silent. That we can make difference world and shape our world if only we try.

We also had performances from the choir, which were amazing. One person sang the National Anthem of America. After that though is when we had a major first.

Four students, Gabby Cardenas, Sophia Mendez, Jade Guillory and Isaiah Harris sang the “Black National Anthem” also known as “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. This was the first time it was performed at LSHS, and it paired extremely well with the MLK assembly.

Overall, the assembly went really well and the information was put out to students in a way that I believe students understood. A big thanks to the choir for the captivating performances, to Christian Paige for sharing his works and stories that were inspired from King, and to Martin Luther King Jr. for inspiring the world and making an enormous change that shaped our world today.