VIDEO NEWS: Lawrentians Embrace Light on MLK Day

Temperatures outside may have been in the teens Monday night, but the energy in Lawrenceville’s Kirby Arts Center was electric at the School’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration.

Built around the theme “Lighting the Way: History, Community, & Hope,” the program featured student reflections, a keynote by Hutchins Institute for Social Justice Executive Director Zaheer Ali, and a special performance by pianist and Harvard University student Timi Esan.

The event bookended a day of programming honoring the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this week with offerings designed to inspire, inform, and invite the community to reflect on shared histories, communities, and hopes that light our collective way forward.

Events on January 20 included a reception for employees and a Circle Practice facilitated by Hutchins Institute for Social Justice Program Coordinator M. Victoria Stitt.

School Chaplain Rev. Violet Lee opened the program, sharing quotes from King’s speeches including excerpts from his “A Knock at Midnight” address from February 1962.

“Lawrentians, today I ask that you remember that Martin Luther King Jr. preached his first sermon as a teenager, this began his life’s work as he worked to push the nation closer to its ideals. He died doing the work of justice,” she said. 

Following Lee’s remarks, several students shared their reflections on King’s legacy.

Leo Mahe ’27 noted that despite challenges, King never lost hope and continued to fight for the changes he believed were necessary.  

“Change is not passive,” Mahe said. “It requires action, sacrifice, and a willingness to face difficult truths. We must light the way as we continue to seek justice here and abroad.”

Imani Gaskin ‘25 reflected on her own history growing up in Barbados, and how her current identity is built on a foundation of “generations of strength and sacrifice needed for me to stand here.”

“My hope today is that even if you don't look like me nor does your story sound like mine, you come to understand the importance of your own experience and people who came before you,” she said. “I truly hope we can all take the time to honor those who came before us.”

Student Council Wellness representative Najja King ‘25 reflected on the various ways her family participated in social justice movements, including her aunt’s work with the nonprofit Operation Push advocating for economic improvement in Black communities to illustrate that activism can take many forms.

“The light of justice, progress, and hope doesn’t belong to one person, movement, or identity,” she said. “Work will take the form of listening to stories, or using your voice. Your work doesn’t have to be big or loud. My hope is we learn to come together and understand the light we carry is strongest when it’s shared.”

Student offerings concluded with Fourth Former Kellen Fisher’s guitar performance of Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.”

Ali shared an interactive keynote presentation where he invited attendees to actively participate in exercises challenging their understanding of what it means to experience light during darkness.

He then introduced Timi Esan, a sophomore at Harvard University, who is known for creating piano music that transcends the traditional barriers of modern music, blending classical training with jazz, blues, and hip hop.

As he played, Esan spoke to attendees, sharing that through his performance, he hopes to bring some light through music.

“With art and music, it's easy to be a casual listener but as you hear these lyrics, I want you to try and feel something and feel the meaning of the lyrics. Big or small, we have a light, a fire inside of us,” he said.

Head of School Steve Murray shared his thoughts on the enduring value of King’s words. “The dark allows us to see the beauty of the stars. Such inequities show us exactly where we have work to do,” he said. “Even if what we are able to accomplish is highly imperfect, we can still value any effort we make to get us in the right direction, to get us a bit closer, precisely because we have seen or feel like what it is to live in the absence of justice.” 

Esan continued playing - and took requests from students - at a post-event reception at the Clark Music Center.

Darshan Chidambaram ‘28 said he found the evening’s events very informative.

“It’s important to look back on people in our nation who have made true change on issues that matter the most like civil rights,” he said. “It’s really inspirational for a group of future leaders, future change makers, that we’re able to find inspiration in people like Reverend King.”

Tyler Sheppard ‘28, Raymond House president, agreed, noting that the event “shined a bright light on the importance of the work of King and on the importance of the work he has done to inspire many of the future leaders we have here at this institution.

“I really admire the fact that we had an event like this where everyone in our community was able to recognize and admire the work of Dr. King and realize his work lives on through each and every one of us tonight,” he said.  

See a gallery of photos from Lawrenceville's MLK events here. 

For more information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.