Between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, Black History Month in February and Cultural Awareness Week in March, the first three months at D-E are filled with assemblies and other activities that raised awareness of the multicultural initiatives throughout the school, thanks to the Office of Multicultural Affairs' partnerships in all three divisions.

January: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Assemblies
“In the end we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In memory of an unforgettable leader, several Lower School students marched with an American flag into the Lower School gym on Wednesday, January 16, to start their annual MLK assembly. A group of fifth graders presented a poem about Dr. King on courage, one of Dwight-Englewood’s core values. In the poem, each letter signified a different word representing the importance of equality and unity.

The PreKindergarteners and Kindergarteners then lined up in the front of the gym to sing “He had a Dream” before, eventually, all of the children united and burst into song. It was a very touching experience for the children, teachers and staff alike. The students in the Kindergarten class were then asked what King’s title signified, and all of the students in the class enthusiastically replied by saying he was a Civil Rights Leader.

Thereafter, Olivia Britton ‘14 and Amani Wynter ‘15 (seen in Photo 1) gave a presentation on Rosa Parks, Dr. King and the Montgomery Boycott before speaking about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and how segregation, thankfully, no longer exists. Amani and Olivia also explained the essence of boycotts, and how Dr. King used the Montgomery Bus Boycott as a form of protesting. Next, senior Taryn Daniels ‘13 performed spoken word and shared a captivating poem on Dr. King. To end the assembly, the students all joined in singing one last time in memory of Dr. King!

It’s no surprise that the Middle School students were captivated by Dr. King’s words at their assembly the following day, January 17, filled with video clips of Dr. King giving some of his famous speeches as well as presentations from several Upper School students who attended the 2012 Student Diversity Leadership Conference -- including Nigel Lassiter ‘14, Mariam Syed ‘15, Geraldine Bustamante ‘13, Lindsay Saftler ‘14 and David Jimenez ’13 -- on their own encounters with regards to segregation.

The presentations referred to the “Content of their Character,” which was the primary focus of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The speakers were given the opportunity to describe their encounters as leaders and victims of discrimination and segregation. Some topics included self-image, stereotypes and even isolation. By being a strong figure like Dr. King, who focused on an individual’s character rather than their physical appearance, the students explained how important it is to have faith in others and look for the character within. After each of the students performed, another speech clip was played. To wrap up the assembly, all of the students participated in a metta meditation led by Carla Moriarty, where they reflected on what King stood for and what kindness and compassion mean before meditating on someone they cared for as well as someone they are not very close with, to understand the importance of equality. In memory of Dr. King, everyone then walked out of the assembly in silence.

February: Black History Month Assembly
As previously reported in the Black History Month article in February, to celebrate Black History Month, the Feb. 7th Upper School Assembly was devoted to learning about a dozen of the greatest people and moments in Black History, as chosen and presented by 10 Upper School students. Familiar names such as Maya Angelou, Billie Holiday, Whitney Houston, Michelle Obama, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson were mentioned, as well as a few lesser-known figures like Alvin Ailey, James Weldon Johnson and Dorothy Jones. Students also learned about historical events like the Lunch Counter Sit-Ins, the creation of spoken word poetry, and the establishment of the first Black intercollegiate fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, at Cornell in 1906, accompanied by a step team performance by three Alpha brothers from the Kappa Zeta Chapter at Pace University.

The highlight of the assembly, however, was a performance by D-E Class of 2006 alumnus Larry Stevens, aka Sean Larry, a motivational speaker, entrepreneur, bilinguist, self-taught musician, poet and author who works as a founding dean of students in Harlem by day. Sean spoke of his own struggles growing up without the support of his parents and, vowing for a better life, his journey to D-E and then Cornell University.

As mentioned by Nigel Lassiter '14 in his opening remarks: "Whether it be an individual who stood up for what they believed in, or a movement that influenced the nation, all of us have different ways of remembering and connecting to this annual celebration of African American culture."

March: Annual Cultural Showcase INSPIREs
INSPIRE, the D-E Upper School club dedicated to “Introducing New Solutions to Promote Integrity & Respect Everywhere," presented its annual Cultural Diversity Showcase on Friday, March 15, kicking- off the start of Spring Break 2013. Earlier that same week, club members coordinated their INSPIREd Cinema movie screening with the film “Elevate," documenting the lives of 4 West African teenagers with big hearts, open minds and NBA dreams. Additionally, there was a cultural food tasting in the school’s Wharton-Lessin Dining Hall. When students returned to D-E after Spring Break, the Holi Festival was also celebrated on the lawn by Swartley Gallery. (The date was changed due to near-freezing temperatures!) Holi is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus as a festival of colors, and is primarily observed in India and Nepal.

The Showcase, the script for which was written by Geraldine Bustamante ’13, brought together a memorable fusion of fashion, dance, video shorts, poetry and spoken word readings, and instrumental and vocal performances. MCs Lindsay Saftler ’14 and Nigel Lassiter ’14 bridged together presentations including "Proud" - a film by Michael Chen ‘14, Hans Shin ‘16 and David Joo ‘16; "Onion” - a Chinese pop song performed by Jonathan Wang ‘15 and Hao Feng ’15 with graphic translation by Naomi Shi ‘15; “Letter to my Daughter” by Kira Tsougarakis ’14; “Yes, I am a Jew” by Julia Brice ‘14; and "Part of Me" - an original poem by Taryn Daniels ’13. Fashion show commentary was written and presented by Arielle Witter ‘13, accompanying models presenting traditional dress from countries including Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Korea, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey, to name a few.

Finally, the Showcase’s Grand Finale was just that: “Sing Sing Sing” -- a dance collage memorably bringing together students, faculty and staff members from all three divisions performing to an all-American jazz soundtrack.