Among this week’s MLK50 events, Shelby County School students had their voices heard at the Halloran Centre on Monday, through the showcasing of art and music.
A chorus of Dunbar Elementary students sung a song called, "Lift Every Voice and Sing." Not the version by James Weldon Johnson, but one written with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in mind, along with this year’s theme: "Where do we go from here?"
K’Teria, a fifth-grade student at Bruce Elementary displayed her artwork at the event. She created a collage that compared the roots of her hair to the roots of her heritage, conveying her distance feeling to her ancestry.
“My love for Dr. Martin Luther King does not stop at this point," K'Teria said. "It keeps going on and on. And, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King lives on and on forever.”
Her art teacher, Amy McSpadden, said that working with students on their art opens the conversation about race and culture.
“In an elementary setting,” she said, “it was a beautiful experience to watch unfold that we are shades of cinnamon, coffee, and toffee.”
Guest speaker, Sebastian Carson, is a poet and filmmaker who uses his art to bring social issues to light. He aimed to inspired students in the audience while emphasizing the importance of education.
“The fact that I even have this opportunity to be on this stage, in front of a place I just was not too long ago, is just testament to the power of education and holding on to a dream, and that’s what Martin Luther King wanted us to do."
AnotherMLK 50 event centered around students is a youth town hall at 10:30 this morning at Greater White Stone Missionary Baptist Church.