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Martin Luther King (MLK) Week

 

At Northfield Mount Hermon, MLK Day is expanded to MLK Week, filled with learning and activities dedicated to the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., reflecting our commitment to inclusivity, learning for life, and service. 

A young woman speaks at a podium adorned with flowers, with blurred figures in the foreground and a wood-paneled wall in the background.
Dr. Joshua Bennett speaking in Memorial Chapel for MLK Week 2026
In the foreground, two young men shake hands, while in the background, a man and two women stand in a room with wooden paneling and large windows.
A speaker stands at a podium in the foreground addressing a large audience seated in a grand hall with arched windows in the background.
A young woman speaks at a podium with a microphone in front of a wooden background and a bouquet of flowers.
A choir performs in front of a large pipe organ in a wood-paneled church, with an audience seated in the foreground.
A choir of young people sings with open mouths in front of a wooden pipe organ.
People in the foreground admire colorful portraits of women hanging on the walls of a gallery with a patterned rug on the floor.
A man and two women stand in front of a colorful portrait of a woman, with a doorway visible in the background.
Three musicians, one playing a piano, another a guitar, and the third percussion, perform in front of a grand piano and conga drums, with a sign for %22Heffernon Hall%22 visible on the wall in the background.
Two young women in the foreground, wearing gloves and serving food from a large tray, stand in front of a blurred background of people and displays.
Four young women pose behind a table laden with food, with a sign reading %22East Africa ft Senegal%22 in the background.
In the foreground, a person with short gray hair and glasses plays a drum, while in the background, another person plays a drum and a keyboard is visible.

From the school’s earliest days, “there's always been this acknowledgement of the importance of diversity, of having people coming from all over the country, all over the globe,” says NMH Dean of Equity and Social Justice Dr. James Greenwood. MLK Week is an important opportunity to reaffirm NMH’s commitment to inclusivity and justice.     

MLK Week 2026 included a community gathering to hear from keynote speaker Dr. Joshua Bennett, an award-winning poet and distinguished chair of humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an opportunity for students to connect Dr. Hajar Yazdiha, a sociologist at the University of Southern California and author of “The Struggle for the People’s King,” excerpts of which were used for an MLK Week teach-in day.

The week also included performances by the NMH Jazz Band and by the Camerata Baltimore gospel choir, whose members offered a gospel workshop and master class for students, faculty, and staff before their concert. In The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center, alums joined community members for a reception in honor of “Pieces of HerStory: A Fabric Collage Celebration of Black Women” by textile artist Kasandra Pantoja P’16, a collection of portraits of influential women of color from throughout history, many of them with NMH connections.

MLK Week concluded with the return of a beloved NMH tradition, the International Carnival, where students and faculty representing more than 20 countries, regions, and ethnic groups from across the globe shared food, art, and other parts of their cultures with the community.

Each year, MLK Week is planned by students, led by the Student Diversity Committee and with the support of the Office of Multicultural Affairs.