ACADEMIC SPOTLIGHT

MLK Walk: Peace of a Dream: Living MLK’s Dream in a Turbulent World
Monday, January 18, 10:00 am

Every year the 8th grade of Manhattan Country School organizes and leads a march built on hopes and dreams of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. This year, the march focuses on movements to end violence, locally, nationally and internationally. Now in the world, violence is evident more than ever, and people across our planet are susceptible to its brutality. These acts of violence include domestic and child abuse, terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. Today, as children in this world, we recognize the injustice caused by acts of violence and intend to do something about it.

This year’s march consists of six stops. It begins at the Gandhi statue in the southwest corner of Union Square and ends at St. Mark’s in the Bowery in New York’s East Village. The topics of focus for the March range from hate crimes to unrest in the Middle East. Each student has chosen a topic that they are interested in, a topic they want to learn more and spread awareness about. Every 8th grader composes a speech about their chosen topic. At each stop, 2-4 students will share these speeches with the other marchers in attendance. The speeches relate both to their topic of choice and their location, making connections to the struggle for civil rights both in the past and today.

Manhattan Country School was founded in 1966 as an independent school with a public mission. Guided by the philosophies of Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., MCS is a school with a strong academic program, no racial majority, a sliding scale tuition policy and a commitment to social justice. MCS students approach this march with a strong foundation of political awareness. United, the 8th grade hopes to bring a message to the public about the struggles to combat violence both globally and locally.

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