With an eye toward action, the Miss Hall's community took time Wednesday to honor the life 和 legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther 王, Jr., activate around Dr. 王’s vision of the “Beloved Community.”

The morning began in Centennial Hall with a keynote from Aminah Pilgrim, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer in Women’s, Gender, Sexuality Studies & Critical Ethnic 和 Community Studies at UMass Boston.

In her remarks, “Toward an Anti-Racist Future,” Dr. Pilgrim provided a roadmap for that path via four objectives: exploring Dr. 王’s “Revolution of Values,” connecting that vision to personal development 和 growth, mastering the concept of anti-racism, engaging with each other so as to move forward as individuals 和 as a community.

“When Martin Luther 王 was alive, he wasn’t the Dr. 王 everyone now celebrates,” Dr. Pilgrim pointed out. 许多, 她指出, found his ideas, including that of a Beloved Community, “太激进,” because it called for a Revolution of Values to upend the “evil triplets” of racism, 军国主义, materialism that plague American society.

援引博士. 王’s October 1967 speech “What is Your Life’s Blueprint?” in which he challenged high school students to develop a plan for their futures, Dr. Pilgrim encouraged the MHS community to study their own lives 和 to pay particular attention to moments of pain 和 inspiration alike. “Pay attention to where those may be leading you,, in the words of Dr. 王, ‘be dedicated to excellence,” she said. “You need to first believe in your own worth 和 dignity.”

Offering the prompts, “Who are you, what is your life’s purpose?” 和 “What actions can you take to contribute to an anti-racist future?” Dr. Pilgrim asked the community to discuss 和 share ways to move toward an anti-racist future. 这个途径, 她补充说, requires developing emotional intelligence, 或情商, gaining a fundamental underst和ing of how our actions impact others.

Following Dr. Pilgrim’s remarks, Diversity Coalition Heads Shirley Dong ’23, Wel Maria ’24, Kali Sears ’23 spotlighted Dr. 王’s vision for a Beloved Community, in which “everyone is cared for, absent of poverty, 饥饿, 和恨.” They then broke down how each of the three evils is a barrier to realizing that vision.

Their presentation set the stage for the second part of the morning — workshops led by MHS community partners 和 themed in the tenets of the Beloved Community. Three sessions were offered:

• End Poverty (in all its manifestations): Food Insecurity, Access, Waste Reduction, with Morgan Ovitsky, Exec. 导演 Berkshire Bounty, & Mary Stucklen, Owner, Tommy’s Compost Service

• End Racism (all identity-based oppressions): Anti-Semitism & Allyship, with Rabbi Jodie Gordon, 导演 of Education at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire，和 Jewish Federation of the Berkshires

• End Militarism (violence in all its forms): Presentation on Center 和 Healthy Relationships, with Carli McGurn, Prevention Educator with the Elizabeth Freeman Center in Pittsfield.

Each of the workshops dove deeper into obstacles in the way of achieving the Beloved Community, provided room for discussion about ways around those obstacles, offered opportunities to explore how to move closer to Dr. 王’s vision.

To prepare for Wednesday’s work, Monday’s Community Meeting featured MHS Black Student Union Heads Oumou Sidibe ’24 和 Nat Williams-Jack ’24, BSU member Kani Harrison ’26 leading a tribute to Dr. 王. Their detailed presentation included information about Dr. 国王的生活, a brief history of the federal holiday in his honor, details about ways to get involved in 和 honor Dr. 王’s vision.

Thank you to the Black Student Union, the Diversity Coalition, our Diversity, 股本, Inclusion 和 视野 teams for such invaluable time together this week!