Katrien and the middle school students, inspired by this quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., made a powerful presentation during assembly on Friday. The students had been working to create care packages for people in shelters. The quote:
“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture of their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.”
During their discussion of how people who are homeless should be treated with dignity, they realized that maybe, in their own lives, they don’t always treat the people they see every day with the same care. The class talked about writing a vow of sorts, that would remind them to treat the people in their daily lives with dignity. They designed and ordered custom wristbands, imprinted with the words “Dignity, equality, freedom.” They agreed to gently remind each other of their agreement, if needed, by gently tugging on the wristbands. Here is the agreement the students wrote. I found it very moving and powerful.