On Monday, January 20, Mercersburg Academy celebrated Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day with special programming. Jamar Galbreath, Assistant Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Mercersburg Academy, stated, “It’s a chance for us to pause and give additional attention to things that we don’t normally get an opportunity to explore.”
Organizers invited prominent human rights activist Dr. Loretta Ross, currently a visiting professor at Smith College, to give the first Keynote Address for the day. Galbreath explained, “[Ross] brought a really humanizing element to the work that we're doing. So I hope that Professor Ross was able to model that for us and be able to bring an interpersonal connection to work that's sometimes challenging.”
During her address, Ross explained the concept of “calling in” as a means to building dialogue with accountability. “Justice is not just about what we’re fighting against,” she said. “It’s about the community we’re building together.” She considered the faults that result from calling out and cancel culture. “How can you fight for human rights using the same tactics as prisons, silencing, isolating, and disposing of people? Calling out should be a tactic of last resort, not the first tool in your toolbox,” she observed.
“She shared a lot of meaningful messages throughout her speech, and they really stood out to me. Calling in isn’t about judging people. It is more about understanding them without hatred,” reflected Ava Shanefelter ‘26.
After the morning keynote, students assembled with their Advisories to compete with their classmates in a trivia session of Kahoot. The questions, related to the events in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., allowed students to learn about the importance of the man as a historical figure. Galbreath explained, “Our programming and planning happens to create extra space to think about Dr. King’s vision and its application to today.”
The afternoon schedule offered a menu of sessions from which students could choose. “What we are offering is an opportunity to explore some different ways to enter in those conversations, maybe thinking a little bit more about what you're bringing to the conversation and what others could be as well,” said Galbreath. Jazlyn Garnett ’27 co-led the Active Listening session. She stated, “I really believe in active listening. It’s a tool people should learn early on. I like hearing the discussions that happen when people really listen to each other.”
Garnett also reflected on the entirety of the day. “Taking a day to learn and reflect on Dr. King’s life and legacy is more rewarding than just having the day off. This shows that Mercersburg is willing to take a full day to acknowledge civil rights and important causes.” She continued, “It’s about making sure people are educated about the past and aware of what they can do in the future.”
The day ended with Dr. Tony Keith, Jr., engaging students with slam poetry. Galbreath explained, “He brings an awesome energy and sort of agency with his work around knowledge of self and education. I just love the way that he brings that energy and also how he works to really empower lots of student voices to create something cool.”
Many students enjoyed the special programming, including Shanefelter. She said, “I attended the Racial Reconciliation session because it focused on off-campus community service and learning about the local community.” Shanefelter’s personal focus, volunteer work, led to her choice. “I do community service already, so I wanted to learn more about how we connect with the community beyond campus. The person we helped told us how much it meant to him, and that made it feel like we really made a difference. So, knowing that our work helped a small team that couldn’t do everything on their own was really powerful.”
Regarding the mission for Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, Galbreath said, “It’s a chance for us to pause and give additional attention to things that we don’t normally get an opportunity to explore. We learned a little bit about creating different opportunities and different strategies to have these conversations from calling in like [Ross], calling on folks to improve their surroundings, and sometimes calling out when necessary.”
In many ways, the mission of the special programming—listen, understand, and empower—reflected Ross’s keynote: “You can say what you need to say, and you can mean what you say, but you don’t have to say it mean. Justice is not just about what we’re fighting against. It’s about the community we’re building together.”