Jane's Pocket Change: Darkness and Stars

January 15 marks the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, renowned civil right leader, non-violent activist and minister in the Baptist Church.
January 15 marks the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, renowned civil right leader, non-violent activist and minister in the Baptist Church.

Other than Christopher Columbus and George Washington, he is the only person to have a national holiday named after him in the United States. (Note to my readers: who else might you nominate for a holiday named after them?) The bill that established the holiday to honor Dr. King was signed by President Ronald Reagan in November 1983, 15 years after MLK’s assassination in 1968. It was not, however, until the year 2000 that the holiday was observed throughout the United States.

When we observe this holiday and consider the life and legacy of Dr. King, it makes sense for us to ask: what would Dr. King be doing and saying right now as he sees the renewed and perhaps more complex racial unrest and racial injustice going on today? He might reply “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.” (Or, perhaps, more accurately and in context: “….. I would turn to the Almighty, and say, ‘If you allow me to live just a few years in the second half of the 20th century, I will be happy.’ Now that's a strange statement to make, because the world is all messed up. The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land; confusion all around. That's a strange statement. But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”) This statement comes from Dr. King’s last speech (“I’ve Been to the Mountaintop”) made on April 3, 1968 in Memphis where he was supporting the sanitation workers’ strike; he was killed the next day on April 4, 1968.

It seems very difficult to accept that it is only when it is dark, when things are dire, that we see any kind of way forward. I think this gets to be an old story, especially for students at CSW who are of an age where they have seen perhaps too much: too many shootings, too many disasters, too much chaos, too much mass ill-treatment. If we look at the writings of Dr. King, however, we will see that is his mantra – don’t give in to hatred, find your faith and hold on to it. His views follow in the non-violent traditions of Mahatma Ghandi and precede the life and work of Nelson Mandela. All oppressed men who lived and worked to show us all a way forward.

“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Dr. King may not have actually said this, but he did say something very similar in a 1963 sermon he gave. I would like to end with my take on this with this statement: “Our lives begin when we take a stand about the things that we care about.” I know this is a CSW value, and I hope that honoring Dr. King’s birthday is one way for each of us to recommit to this approach to life and remember this American hero.

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Pocket Change is a web diary written by Jane Moulding, head of school.



The Cambridge School of Weston is a progressive high school for day and boarding students in grades 9–12 and PG. CSW's mission is to provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships, and a dynamic program that inspires students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.