MLK continues to impact Hill students through a week of cultural and historical reflection

By ELLA GRINDLE

“If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” These words of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. seemed to have guided Hill’s recent activities surrounding MLK Day. During the week of January 16, students were encouraged to observe a variety of perspectives on racial injustice, police brutality, and the culture of African Americans.

The week opened that Sunday night with a hip-hop performance by the Philidelphia-based dance company Hip Hop Fundamentals. Students got the chance to view youth involvement in the civil rights movement through the lens of interpretive dance.

Events continued Monday morning with an all-school screening of “The Hate U Give”, which was based on the book of the same name. Angie Thomas, the author of the book, addressed the Hill community later that day, speaking to her experience growing up as a young Black woman in the 90s and early 2000s, and how her struggles were reflected in the story.

“I think finding yourself, and then learning yourself and knowing yourself is an ongoing process. I think that’s one of the beautiful things about life. You’re constantly figuring out what you’re into, you’re constantly figuring out who you are, and that’s cool. But I think you should also always have that root; your morals and knowing where you stand on certain things,” Thomas reflected to the community.

Edward Tuck Hall Distinguished Chair in English, Courtney Neese ’00, played a role in bringing Thomas to campus. “Mrs. Hudak asked the

English Department to brainstorm who we would like to have visit campus this year, and Angie Thomas was at the top of our list,” Neese recalls.

Like many in the Hill community, Neese understands the importance of hearing from an author like Thomas. She shares “The English Department has worked hard to put books in front of our students that symbolize mirrors and windows. Mirrors are the texts that reflect students’ own identities, experiences, and motivations; windows are the texts that provide insight into the identities, experiences, and motivations of others. Our hope is the texts our students read during their time at Hill allow them to learn something about the world around them while also feeling seen for who they are.”

Thomas shared a similar sentiment to the community, detailing how different types of media helped her find herself. “Reading books was huge for me. One of the things that changed my life in college was reading the autobiography of Malcolm X. Reading Toni Morrison, and Octavia Butler, and all of black authors. Seeing how they saw someone like me, and then seeing myself the way that they saw me, it changed my life. So, between books and hip-hop, they’ve got me covered,” she reflected.

Reverend Khristi Adams, the faculty leaders for Hill’s DEI committee, expressed her thoughts on the broader picture of the diverse student body in answering the question: Do you think that there is any type of resistance from students who may come from different backgrounds?

“Yes. There should be; it’s unrealistic to think that everyone in the room is all on the same page. We’re all answering the same question: What does it mean to come together for and in spite of our differences? Do we value humanity, equality? We may have different approaches to how we answer those questions.”

She continued by explaining, ”What I took away, and hope other students and faculty took away, is people are hesitant to approach these topics because they are so heavy. There is a fear of messing up, or simply a lack of interest. It’s important to realize that there are different ways of engaging in these conversations other than fights on social media. Angie didn’t come trying to give a heavy speech. She was conversational. I hope they are able to hear a variety of perspectives like the ones that were introduced in the film; the main characters who feel stuck between two identities, and the Haileys who come from a communi-