Kevin Powell addressed Choate Students and encouraged them to follow their heart in overcoming obstacles. PHOTO/Michael Tsai ‘10

Choate celebrated Martin Luther King Day with a thought-provoking speech delivered by Kevin Powell. A political activist, poet, journalist, essayist, historian, public speaker, and entrepreneur, Mr. Powell grew up in extreme poverty and a fatherless household. In the past, he has lectured on American and Black American history, the life of Dr. King, multiculturalism, civil rights, American politics, social activism, and being black and male in North America. He brought to Choate insights on a wide range of matters, drawing on his upbringing and past experiences.

To boost student awareness, Mr. Powell opened the program with a film called “The Children’s March,” a documentary about the resistance and rebellion of oppressed African-American children in Birmingham, Alabama. In 1963, thousands of children suffered, fought for their civil rights in a nonviolent matter, and filled the Birmingham jail; these kids are a major part of the reason that people of color have the rights they do today. They overcame the obstacles that the white authorities of the South had thrown at them and eventually gained a greater degree of freedom for themselves and for other minority groups. Nikita Iyer ’10 said, “The video really helped open my eyes.” “It was so inspirational. I never knew kids could impact the world so much,” exclaimed Katie Rogers ’10.

Reverend Marc Trister, Mr. Colin Lord, and CALSA invited Kevin Powell to speak and made the program possible. “After the special program, effecting change will hopefully be something they can do. I hope students can get empowered from what they see,” said Rev. Trister.

After showing the video, Mr. Powell spoke passionately; the question with which he titled the program—“Looking for Martin: Are Dr. King and ‘His Dream’ Still Relevant?”—prompted a resounding “yes” from the audience by the end of his powerful program. Referring frequently to the video, he discussed how children can (and how the Choate student body should) bring about needed changes just like the African-American children of Birmingham in 1963. The children of Birmingham, Mr. Powell said, inspired the Women’s Rights Movement and the anti-Vietnam-War movement that followed the Civil Rights Movement.

A significant portion of Mr. Powell’s speech dealt with Dr. King’s “dream.” To fight against the ‘isms,’ such as racism, sexism and much more—all of which still exist today—is one of Powell’s, as well as Dr. King’s, major goals. He implored the Choate student body to act on our responsibility to give back to the community and give back to the underprivileged. “Respect the humanity of all people—lesbians, gays, and all others are sisters and brothers as well,” urged Mr. Powell, captivating Choate students. Adrian Lui ’10 said, of Kevin Powell’s statements, “They were quite interesting and very true. I think it’s very important that we listen to what he says, or else this discrimination will not cease to exist.”

Mr. Powell challenged all the students at the special program to think about making a change: to change and challenge anything that is morally incorrect. He also reminded the audience that discrimination still exists, even if the Choate bubble shelters most students from it most of the time. Only last year in Jena, Louisiana, white supremacists marched in opposition to MLK Day. “This special program showed that the issues of race and discrimination are not dead,” said Reverend Trister.

The roughly five thousand children who were arrested in the course of a few days in 1963 have brought an important change to the world.