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News and Events : News 03-04
Press Release
January 14, 2004
MLK: In His Honor
NORTHFIELD, Mass.—With a contest, guest speaker, and activities in the
dining halls, NMH students will observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day on
January 19, 2004.
An essay/poetry contest is open to all students. The first prize of $200
will be awarded to the entry which best honors King’s legacy. Entries are
due on January 9 and the winning entry will be announced at the all-school
assembly on January 19.
On Sunday, January 18, the Sunday chapel service will focus on King and
there will be a special dinner in all the dining halls. Students will
decorate the halls, as well as plan ways of mixing people to encourage new
eating partners and expanded conversations.
On Monday, January 19, advising time will consist of group activities that
raise awareness of King and remarks by guest speaker Patrice Gaines at an
all-school assembly in the Auditorium. Gaines is a former Washington Post
reporter and author of two books, Laughing in the Dark and Moments of
Grace: Meeting the Challenge of Change. Beginning at 1:45 pm, the assembly
is open to interested parents and community members.
Gaines chronicles her journey from a fearful “colored girl,” through
self-defeating relationships, drugs, and prison, into a powerful woman of
color. A journalist for 23 years, she was a member of a team nominated for
a Pulitzer Prize. She feels she speaks for “those young sisters” she
witnessed on her newspaper beat, who live the life she once had. She will
sign her books at a reception at 3:30 pm in Hibbard Hall. All are welcome.
Cathy Fillman of the community development office, which coordinates the
MLK Day events, describes Gaines as someone “who not only went through
tremendously powerful personal transformation and empowerment despite
adversities, but poignantly directs audiences to engage in understanding
how those adversities are built into the society by unexamined and
uncontested social injustice.”
Contact: Barbara Hall, 413-498-3205, bhall@nmhshool.org
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