This year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day was a memorable and inspiring event, including engaging speakers, thought-provoking activities, and opportunities for community members to reflect. Organized by the DEI Council and Eric Khong, Dean of Equity and Inclusion, this year’s MLK day stood out as a unique and impactful experience for all.
Over previous years, a typical MLK Day would consist of documentaries, discussions, and a guest speaker. While many meaningful discussions could have taken place, some members of the community believed that there sometimes lacked connection towards MLK and the footprint he left.
This year, planners in the DEI council forged a day of celebration and reflection marked with community art projects and visiting speakers that oriented the student body around a theme central to MLK’s legacy: social movements then and now.
“The goal was to have a day of reflection to honor MLK and his legacy,” said Layla Choudhri ’26, a representative of the DEI council. “We wanted to have a more engaging activity than just watching a movie and having a discussion.”
The day started off with an opening keynote, followed by presentations of various art builds around campus. The objective was to have the community get up and engage, giving everyone a more active role in events and activities.
“We wanted to create a day of programming that involved a lot of active creation as opposed to passive watching and reflection,” explained Khong. He went on to say that “instead of being something we do every year without intention,” he wanted students to “really think about what it means to actually push society.” Khong wanted to have the community “move around and create and generate ideas for what the future could be.”
Many students believed that the focus of the day was diverse. The event wasn’t just about MLK, but also about each person’s “self-definition and self-expression,” according to Deric Choi ’26.
“There was an activity where I could have a photo shot,” Choi said. “There were prompts like: what word defines you? Or, if you could make one change in the world, what would it be?” Choi went on to say that these questions gave him an opportunity to “reflect on what it means to be social being, and what my role in society is.”
Though there may have been some confusion throughout the day, the detailed organization meant that the event faced no major obstacles. Both physically and mentally, the DEI council had planned to ensure that the day would run smoothly.
Nicole Leonardo ’25, co-chair of DEI, said that “a lot of the physical labor was done the week of, but a lot of the mental planning was done a month or two prior.” There wasn’t too much trouble throughout the day, but Leonardo mentioned that “some people felt cramped” and some students were “writing things that they shouldn’t be writing.” She admitted that “that’s what happens when you give a lot of freedom to the student body, but we also have to consider how we can prevent this in the future.”
In the afternoon, Tarana Burke, the activist who started the #MeToo movement, gave a powerful closing keynote. Many students and community members were impressed with her unique ideas and engaging speech.
“I thought the speaker was well spoken and it was interesting to hear a new point of view,” said Nat Diamond ’26. “She sat down, and it was more like a conversation, like she was sharing advice. She was providing insight, but she was also joking,” said Choudhri.
Even though this year’s MLK day was unique, it was still well received by the Hill community.
“I think for the betterment of the community; we should keep this current format. We become more educated, and it helps us grow,” said Diamond.