Every year on Martin Luther King (MLK) Junior Day, Andover pauses its regular schedule for a “day-on” where students engage deeply in a plethora of different topics, including identity, athletics, mental health, and art. The second half of the day includes a series of student and faculty-led workshops. Many of these workshop leaders explained how the workshops were an opportunity to share their passions and foster meaningful learning.
Ethan Liu ’26 (he/him): “Meditation Through Improvisation: The Intersection of Jazz and Buddhism”
“The most rewarding part [of the workshop] was [conducting] the guided meditation sessions, because that’s a new thing for me. I’m always the one listening to my Dharma teacher guide the meditation sessions. Being able to share that, being the one telling people what to do, and also seeing people’s positive responses has been really fulfilling for me and pushes me to continue leading this club that me and my friend are starting this year, which is the Phillips Academy Buddhism Club.”
Kelley MacKinnon ’27 (she/her): “Crip Camp”
“I wanted students to understand that disability activism was a huge part of the civil rights movement. It’s often overlooked, and disability rights aren’t usually discussed at all. The fight for disability rights was a very large movement in the US, and it took a long time for disabled individuals to gain equal access. Also, accessibility benefits everyone, [including] elevators, curb cuts, ramps help people with strollers, temporary injuries, and many others. I hope students take away that accessibility benefits everyone.”
Eric Denby, Instructor in History and Social Science: “Surveillance, Suspicion, and the “American”: Red Scare Tropes in Today’s Public Debates”
“I was inspired [to lead the workshop] by the parallels we’re seeing between the 1950s communist paranoia in the United States and what is happening in the country today. The Red Scare was not only about government overreach, but also the “othering” of those that Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee deemed un-American. With the current attacks on who gets to be citizens, I felt that we could connect a historical past to the present and possibly offer more context for understanding today’s current political climate.”
Kassie Bateman, Chair of Russian Department: “Changing the Game: Movie and Discussion”
“Many states in recent years have introduced bills that ban transgender participation in sports, particularly trans women in sports, and it’s important that we understand the current situation and advocate for trans participation in sports. We are lucky to be at a school and in a state whose policies are inclusive and supportive of trans athletes. That is not the case in all states… For many of us, athletics is a big part of our lives and our identity. It’s where we find joy and community. If we can give students the knowledge and language to articulate why transgender inclusion in sports is so important, we’ve made an impact.”
Ayush Gupta ’26 (he/him): “Build A Baby”
“The most important message or takeaway that I hope to leave students with is that science is never value-neutral. Scientific ideas, when they’re mixed with power or fear or prejudice, can be used to justify real harm. We’ve seen that in the eugenics movement in the US, especially with forced sterilizations in states like California, and Nazi Germany did the same thing. By studying this history and engaging in these activities, students can see how in the modern day how quickly we begin ranking lives once genetic information is introduced. Human worth is not determined by our genetics. We have to start thinking about the ethics which come with these technologies that are emerging.”
Alex Lin ’28 (she/her): “Spectra: Shining Light on Queerness in STEM”
“Our workshop is about queer visibility in STEM. The discussion generated from the workshop was super valuable, since it’s a space where people have chosen to come to the workshop. Everyone there is interested in hearing our topic, and in fact, Dr. [Raynard] Kington came to our workshop because he is also queer and a scientist.”
Nneka Ezeike ‘26 (she/her): “MLK Scholar Presentation: Narratives of America”
“We discussed how identity can impact how people view sensationalized headlines. There’s a lot of polarization in the media, and without understanding how your identity shapes perception, people can fall for misinformation easily…Headlines are never neutral. The language we consume shapes who we empathize with and how we decide what justice looks like.”
Maya Darville, Teaching Fellow in History and Social Science: “Dynamic Leadership in the Civil Rights Movement: Ella Baker, SNCC, and the Power of Student Activism”
“As a young Black woman from a small town in Georgia, my consciousness about topics like the Civil Rights Movement was always high. However, I never learned about the impact that Black women had on this movement. … I hope students understand that impactful leadership isn’t based solely on charisma or being the most emphatic voice in the room. Ella Baker shows us that real change comes from empowering the people around us, from building self-sustaining structures, and trusting young people to have the ability to lead themselves… I hope that students receive the message that they are capable of creating change themselves, not by awaiting the arrival of a hero, but by building the movements that they would like to be a part of themselves.”
