Honoring Dr. King

Photo courtesy of Siri Anderson.

On Jan. 17, Molokai paid tribute to a man who left a legacy of equality and social justice. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was not just observed as a holiday, but as a Day of Service on Molokai, with students gathering on the Public Library grounds to remember the true meaning of the occasion.

Interval House Molokai joined with Aka`ula School and the Molokai Public Library to put on a program that included portions of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech in more than half a dozen languages, while Aka`ula School students opened the event with “Music of the Movement,” a civil rights musical celebration.

“[Dr. King] challenged us to build a more perfect union and taught us that everyone has a role to play in making America what it ought to be,” said emcee Tania Will. “MLK Day of Service is a way to transform Dr. King’s life and teachings into community actions that help solve social problems.”

Booths manned by AmeriCorps members and Aka`ula School included the International Peace Poem Project, face painting for keiki, and art activities promoting community service and honoring Dr. King. Also highlighted were student-created posters answering the civil rights leader’s question, “What are you doing for others?”

The posters were part of the day’s “Challenge to Serve” art contest. Winner of the Kindergarten-First Grade category was David Hanaoka-Soares, Kaia Yamashita won the second-third grade division, fourth-fifth grade category first place was Teruko Asano and sixth-eighth grade winner was Jasmine Milsap.