Students at Niles North High School plan to speak about the ongoing fight for racial equality in America this week while honoring the legacy of civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr.
Niles North teacher Pankaj Sharma, who organized the after-school event, said the special Jan. 19 event is part of a nationwide day of action campaign spearheaded by the American Federation of Teachers and The Alliance to Reclaim our Schools.
AFT is the that labor union represents teachers in Niles Township High School District 219 and across the country. The Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is a group comprised of various pro-public education organizations. Adult and youth speakers at the event will discuss King’s legacy and his contributions to public education, Sharma said.
Niles North students Bella Levavi, 17, Maggie Lavengood, 17, and Mina Mari, 16, are scheduled to speak. All three said they got involved in the event through the school’s Immigration Rights Club.
Levavi, a junior at the high school, said she’ll speak on the importance of youth activism and employing King’s strategies for non-violent, peaceful resistance and protest. She said the timing of the event — a day before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration — is significant.
“I think the reason why we picked that date is so we can have an event talking about how to be politically active and try to be empowered when right now, and back when Martin Luther King Jr. lived, these were both times when people felt alienated and like they didn’t have a voice,” she said.
In addition to honoring King’s legacy and learning what they can from it, Mari, a junior, said the event is an opportunity to come together for a show of unity.
“The unity piece is really important to help show people in America when we have a leader that’s really divisive, that young people and students of any color, sexuality and gender can be united together,” said Lavengood, a junior at Niles North, who will speak about how to be a white ally in the fight for racial justice and equality.
Sharma said the event will be an opportunity for students and staff to reflect on the progress made since King’s assassination and “the areas where progress still needs to be made,” particularly when it comes to racial segregation in schools.
Students and staff at Skokie’s Niles West High School would also honor the civil rights activist during double assemblies dubbed “Honoring King’s Legacy through Youth Activism,” according to District 219’s interim director of equity, Alana Laury.
The event featured spoken word pieces from two students, a poem written and performed by a teacher, performances by the Niles West Orchesis Dance Company, the Niles West Master Singers and Choir, and a speech about the importance of youth activism by the school’s athletic director, she said.
Laury said students are “really captivated” by the speakers and performances and the overarching aim “is to celebrate King’s legacy.”
Lee V. Gaines is a freelancer.
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