Orca's MLK Celebration (Adapted From a Report for the PTSA Newsletter)

Friday morning I came across the obituary of Matthew Lipman, who in the 1960s pioneered the idea that young children should be taught philosophy -- that they were capable of deep, meaningful thinking, and should be encouraged to develop these skills. He used a model he called "communities of inquiry": talking circles that began with stories and delved into complex issues like truth, justice, and freedom.

I thought of Mr. Lipman many times during Orca's Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration, as I watched our kids demonstrate again and again their amazing capacity to think deeply, to make connections, and to let their lights shine out into the world. Through poetry, dance, drama, and song -- individually and working together -- they made inspiring connections between present and past, personal and political, home and community.

The show started off with the Orca Band performing "This Little Light of Mine," and wound up with the 6th graders performing a dance based on K'naan's "Wavin' Flag." It's clear these kids are also learning how to let their lights shine, wave their flags -- and speak their truths!

On of my favorite skits seemed simple, but it could have been a college seminar: Patrick's 4th and 5th graders acted out their own process of deciding whether their presentation should focus on poverty, war, or police violence. They considered each issue carefully, voting and revoting as a class about which issue to focus on.

"Then someone suggested that we do all three ideas," said one student.

"But," said another, "a lot of people thought that doing three ideas would mean our message would be divided and it wouldn't be clear."

"That's what they told Martin Luther King when he came out against the Vietnam War. They said that his mesasge of racial justice would be divided and not as strong if he started fighting against the war. He told people that 'Justice is individible. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'"

This theme tied the many different performances together. A few highlights:

• Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror," covered by a choir of middle schoolers (several of whom confessed to me later that they'd been singing, "No mustache could have been any clearer" instead of "message" -- because they're convinced that's what MJ actually says).
• An adorable crew of kindergartners singing a variation on "Bingo" in which they spelled out "P-E-A-C-E." I was especially impressed that this class was conducted by one of its own members!
• A powerful recitation of Dr. King's "Letter From the Birmingham Jail" (I had to wonder how many of the thousands of school MLK assemblies that went on that day across this great nation of ours contained the word "nigger," used appropriately in historical context?)
• An eloquent speech about each of us doing our part, written and delivered by a fifth grader.
• Ms. J's story about an ethnic studies program in Arizona (under threat from the legislature, alas) where they teach the Mayan philosophy of "In lak ech": You are my other me.
• A song written by Kathleen Tracy and sung by third graders, which invited us all to follow the footsteps of  brave and passionate leaders who were willing to journey "to a land beyond fear" in order to fight for what they believed in. (This one got me all weepy, I confess -- but I cry easy. Heck, I started sniffling when Donte introduced "This Little Light of Mine": "If we've got that light inside us, we can keep going through the hardest of times...") I managed to catch a little bit of this one before my camera battery died...

At the end of the celebration, Ms. Concie got the students ready for the afternoon's march to Columbia City. "I know it's raining," she said. "But the people in Montgomery chose to walk in the rain and snow and all kinds of weather for over a year in order to end segregation on the buses there. So don't you think we can walk in the rain for an hour to deliver our message?"

Yes we can. And we did.

I arrived on the playground shortly after one and unfurled the big earth flag I bring every year, wondering who on earth would carry it this time, now that Jacob Watkins has graduated.  The answer, it turned out, was obvious: his little brother Isaiah -- who lit up like a lightbulb when Deb asked him if he'd like to carry on the Watkins tradition, strode solemnly up to claim it, and carried it like it was the ark of the covenant.

Isaiah carries on the Watkins tradition.

Heading out...

Our message: Food for All People! Help the Poor!

Ms. Concie led the group in singing "This Little Light of Mine" at the Columbia Plaza while they waited for the rest of the school to file in.

Ms. Concie and Isaiah led the march through the neighborhood, down Hudson Street to Rainier Avenue, and all the way to the Columbia Plaza, where the Rainier Valley Food Bank had set up bins to collect our donations. These students weren't just delivering a message, you see -- they were also delivering food to people in need. This was a powerful way of recognizing "In lak ech" in our own communtiy, while making the connection between poverty and justice. The school donated hundreds cans of food and $1840 to the food bank on Friday.

Food collection bins for the Rainier Valley Food Bank.

One student went to put in a can of soup...

... and almost wound up in the donation bin himself!

Marching home up Hudson Street.

It was great to see our school carrying on its long tradition of tackling difficult issues head on, encouraging students to think deeply about them, and creating experiences that connect their work in school to the community outside our doors. 

Many, many thanks to the staff and students for their amazing performances, to SPD for escorting the march, and to Lisa Dunton for organizing the event. And of course, to Dr. King for inspiring children (and adults) all over the world to continue the hard work of making our communities live up to their dreams of justice and equality.