RPS, RevereTV partner for Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Sunday, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, Revere High School students, elected officials, school committee members and members of the Human Rights Commission offered insight into the life and words of Dr. King on RevereTV. The program was streamed live on RevereTV’s YouTube channel, Revere Public Schools' (RPS) YouTube channel, as well as Revere Cable Access Channel Sunday evening.

A recording of the program can be found at tinyurl.com/27chuaha

Revere Public Schools’ Office of Equity and Inclusion, RPS’s Tech Dept., and the Communication Dept. produced an hour-long show in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day in conjunction with Revere TV.

The format of this show included a roundtable discussion with RHS students, moderated by Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Lourenço Garcia. These students discussed Dr. King’s famed “I Have a Dream” speech and how his words still resonate today.

RHS students who participated in the round table discussion were: Raihan Ahmed (senior); Salsabil Mendoza (junior); Jaleeyah Jahayra Figueroa Capunay (sophomore); Kodjo, Francoise (junior); Christopher Merveille (senior); Alexandra Fabiola Gracias (junior); Biancajayne Gesek Dela Pena (junior); and Isha Hassan (junior).

This year marks the 38th anniversary of the first observance of Dr. King's birthday as a national federal holiday. Dr. King is deemed one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement who played a critical role in ending entrenched segregation for blacks and people of color with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

“Join me as we discuss Dr. King’s philosophy of dismantling institutionalized racial segregation, discrimination, and inequity without resorting to violence and the legacy he left for our current and future generations,” said Dr. Garcia during the program. “Our political leaders and students will share their insights on what Dr. King means to them, our community and our country.”

On Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in front of a crowd of 250,000 Civil Rights leaders and supporters, Dr. King delivered what would become arguably his most famous speech.

The March on Washington and Dr. King’s I Have a Dream speech put pressure on the Kennedy Administration to advance its civil rights legislation in Congress.

In the wake of the speech and march, King was named Man of the Year by TIME magazine for 1963, and in 1964 he was the youngest man ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Revere’s elected officials, Mayor Patrick Keefe, Sen. Lydia Edwards, Rep. Jessica Ann Giannino and Rep. Jeffrey Rosario Turco, reflected on Dr. King’s legacy.

The program included insights from Revere’s Human Rights Commissioners, Dr. Garcia, Chair Chaimaa Mansour Hossaini, Chris Bright, Kourou Pitch and Molly McGee, as well as School Committee Members Aisha Millbury-Ellis and Jacqueline Monterroso.

The program also included poems read by Rumney Marsh Academy eighth grader Noor Ashou and RHS junior Kodjo Francoise, as well as RPS teacher Roxana Campbell.

“I hope that the views and perspectives shared by our guests on Dr. King’s teachings, leadership and legacy of non-violence to combat social and racial injustice have laid a solid foundation for a more inclusive, integrated and racially desegregated America,” said Dr. Garcia. “I encourage you all to reflect on this important day and continue to work together towards creating lasting change that will benefit all members of our diverse community. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not thank Revere TV, our school district and distinguished guests for their meaningful contribution to this discussion.”

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