The Blackstone School, St. Stephen’s and Partner Organizations Do What is Right! A Day of Action Honoring the Legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
/By Gabriel Fontes, JOIN Fellow, and Tyler Cavanagh, Development Associate
Continuing a ten-year tradition, St. Stephen’s Youth Programs (SSYP) and the Blackstone Elementary School, along with 34 partner organizations, honored the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 20, 2020 with a day of service projects and leadership training. This year, leaders shaped the day’s program so that it more closely followed King’s prophetic vision of the ways societal challenges--such as institutional racism, economic disparity, and immigration policy--intersect. The day was designed to build the resources needed to tackle these seemingly intractable issues.
One of those resources is relationships since social capital and connections across difference are critical for addressing community concerns. Organizations that joined SSYP and the Blackstone School for the day included the Jewish Community Relations Council, suburban Episcopal churches, Mass Mentoring, Quest Adventures, National Grid, and Company One Theatre.
Nikki Olusanya was the leader of a team of volunteers from Company One Theatre, where she is the Education and Connectivity Associate. Actors and backstage staff were excited to bring their children to the day and expand their relationships with colleagues. “Participating in this event allowed us to live our mission- ’to build community at the intersection of art and social justice’ - in a new way,” said Olusanya.
Friends and community members of all ages participated in service throughout the morning
Working together to paint Blackstone classrooms and inspirational murals or to sort and organize hundreds of items of clothing in the parent center offered some of the 250 volunteers who were part of the morning projects a change to have conversations, share stories, and learn about each other. Refreshing classroom spaces with a fresh coat of paint may seem very basic, the impact on the students and staff is huge. Volunteers also revitalized the walls of the main office space, repainted stairway railings, and SSYP parent mentors cleaned and painted the Blackstone Parent Center.
On the walls of the school, a series of murals were created with colorful paint. They were designed by teachers and students with an intention of beautifying spaces, encouraging student growth, and entertaining families. With an underwater theme tying into the school’s mascot, Shawmut the Shark, they also created a sense of school spirit.
Juan Herasme, a fifth grader at the Blackstone, saw the new murals, near the technology classroom and the indoor recess space, when he came back to school on Tuesday. Herasme said, “The paintings look good because they have colors and [the volunteers] took their time to do them. It looks nice now.” He added, “There are a lot of kids who like the murals because it makes the school look better. It gives the school a lot of positive vibes.”
SiouxSanna Ramirez-Cruz, a Boston resident and community arts educator, said, “As an arts facilitator, the objective is to move us all mindfully forward through our human experience using the arts as the glue. The MLK Day call for action was this mission in practice.” She continued, “During the day, I connected with individuals who were both new to the community and those who were embedded in it. Together not only are we stronger but also we see our capacity to give.”
Family projects got a little messy but our younger volunteers were engaged in important work!
Family projects that engaged people of all ages, such as painting kindness rocks and weaving cloth into a large installation, was another way the program helped volunteers build relationships and reflect on the meaning of the day. It was also a way to keep young bodies and hands entertained. Families painted kindness rocks to affirm teachers at the school, thanking them for their dedication to the youth in our community. The tapestry, woven with written dreams for the world ranging from “a spaceship” to “a world without war or hate”, will be a living piece, with young people in SSYP’s B-READY afterschool program adding their dreams, and will be displayed at 419 Shawmut Avenue after completion. Projects of painting classroom space and freshening up bulletin boards also happened at the St. Stephen’s space during the morning.
Blackstone teacher Crystal Collier said about the day, “Teachers are overwhelmed with the consistent support and love we receive from our community. The MLK Day of Action was Dr. King’s dream coming to fruition.”
After lunch, leaders from Unafraid Educators and the Student Immigrant Movement led a teach-in addressing recent developments regarding the Boston Public Schools (BPS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). A few weeks ago, news broke that ICE gained access to more than 130 student incident reports containing students' personal information. This information sharing, in direct violation of previous promises from BPS, led to the deportation of at least one student and much fear and concern for many other students and their families.
Close to 75 volunteers from the morning projects stayed and they were joined by another 100 educators, students, parents, organizers and concerned community members. They came together to get informed and get trained on how to take action.
Having the opportunity to partner with like minded community organizations to create social change was a critical goal of the MLK Day of Action
Juan DeLeon, a 15-year-old youth organizer from SSYP, opened the afternoon teach-in by quoting a line from a 1967 speech by King. “For those who are telling me to keep my mouth shut, I can’t do that… There’re times when you must take a stand that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but you must do it because it is right.”
Eliza Daniel-Hodges, another SSYP youth organizer who is an 11th grader at TechBoston Academy, continued by declaring, “Today we will not keep our mouths shut. We will not stay quiet while information of immigrant students, both documented and undocumented, gets shared with ICE.”
Then, trainers from Unafraid Educators and organizers from the Student Immigrant Movement laid out a proposal to limit the information sharing between Boston Police Department, BPS, and ICE. Small groups debated the best ways to build the power necessary to implement the proposed policy. Everyone committed to the goal of gathering 2,000 petition signatures and delivering those to BPS by mid-February. Signatures can be added to that petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/join-us-in-making-schools-safe-from-ice
Participants from the morning projects and afternoon workshop all found the day meaningful and important.
Bringing the community together and celebrating the legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Blackstone teacher Collier summarized the impact of the day, saying, “In the words of Dr. King, ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is what are you doing for others.’ This event makes real the world King imagined and we want to build for students and our community.”
To learn more about St. Stephen’s Youth Programs, visit www.ssypboston.org or drop by 419 Shawmut Avenue or email volunteer@ssypboston.org
Gabriel graduated from Brandeis University ('19) with a BA in English and African & African-American Studies. He arrives at St. Stephen's through the Jewish Organizing Institute and Network (JOIN) Fellowship. Previously, Gabriel has interned with Fight for $15 in Atlanta, New York Communities for Change in Brooklyn, and Breakthrough Collaborative in New Orleans. Gabriel studied abroad at the University of Havana and continues to work with community education programs in the city. Gabriel is passionate about helping young people find their power through community organizing.
Tyler holds a bachelor's degree in music with a concentration in vocal performance from Westfield State University. With over 15 years of experience in youth work, including licensed camps and childcare, teen leadership programming, mentoring, and arts education, Tyler is excited to bring his experience to the development side of the table. He has a passion for building community and creating opportunities to celebrate diversity and inclusion in all ages but especially in young people. Tyler currently lives on the South Shore where he is an active performer in community theatre, choirs, and recitals.