29th Annual MLK Jr. Celebration: Power of Community

February 3, 2022—The Winsor community gathered in the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Theater for the start of Black History Month to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

The event was particularly moving as it was the first time since March 2020 that the entire community came together in one place. In her emotional opening words, Head of School Sarah Pelmas evoked the power of Dr. King’s message: “As we celebrate, let’s all vow to fight for what matters…and to always speak with love in your hearts.” 

Event hosts Katherine Torres ’22, Class VIII, and Sophia Selassie ’28, Class II, introduced themselves and spoke about the importance of the celebration to the community. The event featured an impressive roster of speakers, poets, and dancers who used both voice and movement to inspire hope and renewed purpose. 

Class IV student Zora Chirunga ’26 delivered a powerful speech on race and the experience of being Black in America. “When you look at me there is no racial ambiguity, I’m Black. People say we’ve come a long way, but I say we still have work to do.” In a moving moment of unity, she asked the audience, “if you have ever experienced discrimination just because you were different, I want you to put your fist up.” The auditorium lifted in a wave of fists, and then erupted in applause. She asked the audience to embrace those differences and encouraged them to continue to work to make the day when nobody raises their hands to that question. She also suggested that we use this time to support black-owned businesses. 

Angeliki Volandes ’28 read with artful interpretation an excerpt of the Maya Angelou poem “And Still I Rise.”

You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may tread me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Katherine Torres ’22 introduced guest speaker Dr. Makeeba McCreary, president of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF), a coalition founded of Black and Brown executives from Massachusetts’ leading corporations united to support Black and Brown communities amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in the wake of the brutal killing by police of George Floyd. Dr. McCreary joined NCF after two and a half years with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA). In her role she focused on audience development and integrating diverse perspectives through the lens of art. 

Dr. McCreary walked the audience through her experiences growing up as an African American in the South End of Boston. She shared photos of her youth in the 1970s and pointed out early signs of trying to learn how to live in two different worlds as a biracial child. She spoke about how her father used to have her look in a mirror and tell herself “I am beautiful.” While she hated it at the time, she soon learned that it was necessary because “everything around me was telling me differently.”

She reminded the audience that there is not a lot of time on this planet, and the time you have matters. Countering images of African Americans in today’s media, she offered beautiful images of African Americans, and said “these are the images I want you to see, and the stories I want you to look for.” 

An ensemble of all classes, including Head of Upper School Kim Ramos, performed a lyrical dance to “All Together Now,”* symbolizing  that the work ahead must be done by all of us. Amid a backdrop of images of violence and incarceration, the dance performance incorporated jazz and the imagery of circles to symbolize unity. Students held hands at the end as a protest image flashed in the background, as if the dancers were part of the crowd of protesters.

Franchesca Vilmenay ’22 and Bonnie Shao ’27 spoke briefly about the dance creation process before the event came to a close. 

Watch the recording.

*“All Together Now” was originally choreographed by Cynthia Gutierrez-Garner and arranged for Winsor by dance faculty Carey McKinley featuring: Hannah Ahn, Aleena Bacorro, Elena Bird, Laura Bravo-Melguizo, Melissa Guiterrez, Robin Chavez Shirman, Zora Chirunga, Virginia Choe, Gisele Francois-DeVane, Anna Quigley, Kim Ramos, Bonnie Shao, and Franchesca Vilmenay.