Dr. Benjamin Carson, who repairs brains for a living, told students at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day All-School Meeting to use theirs. Carson spoke about his mother, who worked three jobs at once to keep the family out of poverty. Carson said, “[My mother] never adopted a victim’s mentality and told us that if we had a brain, we could work ourselves out of [any situation].” Carson also emphasized the importance of personal responsibility throughout his presentation. “Don’t make excuses,” he explained through the story of the Bunker Siamese twins who lived a remarkably long and fruitful life, despite being conjoined at the waist. In addition, Carson recounted his journey from “being the worst fifth grader you’ve ever seen” to a high school student whose class voted him most likely to succeed. Linda Griffith, Dean of Community and Multicultural Development (CAMD), said, “[Carson] was very humble and down-to-earth for someone who is as accomplished as he is. He is an inspirational speaker and a good storyteller.” Griffith continued, “A number of faculty members came up to me and told me this was the best speaker they had ever seen. I think that his low-key approach appealed to a lot of [members in the community].” “[While] MLK Day was successful logistically, what really measures success is [the reflection] that continues in classrooms, dormitories and Uncommons tables,” Griffith said. Juniors attended a performance by Michael Fowlin titled “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me.” Lowers watched Spike Lee’s documentary on Hurricane Katrina, “When the Levees Broke.” Jina Lee ’12 said, “Because Michael Fowlin acted, he inspired the audience a lot more than he would have if he had just given a lecture. His performance really intrigued me. Also, he taught important messages about self-confidence,” she said. Jeremy Hutton ’11, who watched Lee’s documentary, said, “Although choice would have enabled [us] to focus on [workshops] that we were interested in, it was nice to have watched [Lee’s movie] as a class. Watching the movie together allowed us to talk in English classrooms and among friends.” “The movie also highlighted class division, which I didn’t really know about [prior to the movie],” he said. Upperclassmen could participate in a variety of workshops or community service projects. Students worked as waiters, bus-boys and servers for one community service project at the Cor Unum Meal Kitchen in Lawrence. Michaeljit Sandhu ’09 explained why he chose Cor Unum for his MLK Day workshop. He said, “After 3 years of listening to lectures, I wanted a change of pace [so I] got involved in a community where race relations are an issue, rather than discussing them in an academic setting.” Alana Rush, Assistant Director of Community Service, said, “Doing community service really speaks to the spirit of MLK day. [Students were able to explore] different communities of homeless and hungry people. They were interacting with these people on a real basis. Seeing it firsthand on a very local and personal level really helps.” Sandhu said, “In the future, I’d like to see more opportunities for service, especially in Lawrence.” Julie Bernson, Director of Education at the Addison Gallery, and Jamie Kaplowitz, Addison Education Fellow, led a workshop called “Envisioning 2009.” Students discussed the presidential inauguration ceremony and how it affected them. Students took pictures that symbolized their hopes and dreams for the new administration. “After Obama was elected in November [and I realized that he would be inaugurated the day after MLK Day], it seemed impossible to separate the two ideas,” said Bernson. Nick Dean ’10, who participated in the Addison Gallery Workshop, said, “[I signed up for the Addison gallery workshop] because I am interested in photography. [The fact that it was related to Barack Obama’s inauguration] made it change from just another MLK day workshop to something a lot more interesting.” “[On MLK Day], we are commemorating a man who fought for civil rights for a man like Obama to come along,” said Griffith.
