Each year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day asks individuals to pause and remember. During MLK Week 2026, Western Reserve Academy took the next step: gathering for intentional programming to reflect, learn, create and recommit to the ongoing work of justice.
Planned by Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Iiyannaa Graham-Siphanoum and the DEIB Committee, MLK week invited students, faculty, staff and friends to engage Dr. King’s legacy as something lived, not simply honored.
MLK Week began with a special Morning Meeting that brought together music, reflection and powerful student leadership. Student DEIB Committee members guided the program, including a performance of the civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome,” a short historical film clip to ground the day and a collective recitation of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
One of the most moving moments came from Angelique Blanc ’27, who challenged the community to move beyond the comfort of commemoration. “Remembering is the easy part,” she shared. “The hard part is figuring out what Dr. King’s work actually means for us today.”
Angelique spoke candidly about what it means to inherit Dr. King’s legacy as a Black student, while also naming MLK Day as a shared WRA story. She connected the call to action to Reserve’s history, recalling that in 1854, nearly a decade before the Emancipation Proclamation, WRA welcomed Frederick Douglass to deliver a commencement address at a pivotal moment in our nation’s story.
Her message was clear: foundations matter, but they are not enough. “You can’t live off a foundation alone,” she reminded us. “You have to build something.”
Throughout the week, students in our global community were offered opportunities to process current events and support one another. During advisory time on Monday, the DEIB Office hosted an optional “Holding Space” gathering intended for reflection and dialogue around issues of immigration.
MLK Week also honored the role of creativity in movements for justice. Visiting artist LESN101, a Lao-American graffiti and mural artist whose work explores identity, activism and community storytelling, created a pop-up mural displayed on the south side of Ellsworth Dining Hall. Community members were invited to add to the work by responding to the prompt connected to Dr. King’s words: “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
The artist also led a graffiti art workshop, giving students another way to explore legacy, voice and the courage it takes to make change visible.
Midweek programming featured a screening of Race (2016), the story of track and field legend Jesse Owens and his journey from Ohio State University to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. A Northeast Ohio native, Owens made history by overcoming racism and bigotry to win four gold medals. Students also learned a meaningful connection to Reserve: Jesse Owens visited campus in 1976, a reminder that history is not so distant.
On Thursday, the community gathered in the Knight Fine Arts Center Moos Gallery to celebrate the opening of Lift Every Voice: Protest, Power and the Push for Freedom, an exhibit honoring Dr. King and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, with a special spotlight on student activism. With treats, music and conversation, the reception invited students to see themselves as part of a long tradition of young people shaping the future.
MLK Week culminated with a keynote from Kenneth B. Morris Jr., a nationally recognized speaker, author and social justice advocate, and a direct descendant of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington. As President of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, Morris leads efforts to combat human trafficking and advance educational equity.
In his address, Morris reflected on the ways history continues to shape the present, emphasizing that we are “not that far removed” from the past when we consider generations. He spoke about education as a pathway to opportunity, the importance of telling one’s story and the responsibility that comes with carrying a legacy forward. One of his themes resonated throughout the week: legacy is not just something we inherit — it’s something we choose and shape through our actions.
MLK Week 2026 offered our community meaningful opportunities to learn, reflect and engage — and to consider how Dr. King’s message can be expressed through everyday choices: listening, showing up for one another and contributing to a community where everyone feels seen and valued. As Angelique reminded us, meaningful change doesn’t happen through one voice alone. It grows when a community chooses to participate — together.
