Celebrating MLK Jr. with Words, Song and Dance in East Somerville

Somerville, MA, Jan. 27, 2015 – It was a day of celebration and remembrance as students and community members from across Somerville came together on Jan. 19at the East Somerville Community School in order to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and share his messages of equality, inclusion and peace.

The celebration, called “Music: Our MLK Jr. Dream by Song,” was organized by Sonja Darai, Director of the city’s Office of Commissions.

“It is a really important time for us to mark the work of the Reverend King. It is a time for us to mark what our community is doing every single day and it is an opportunity for us to celebrate,” Darai told Somerville Neighborhood News (SNN).

Hosted by Brazilian percussionist Marcus Santos, the performance included singing, dancing, essays, drumming and poetry from people of different ethnicities and cultures from all walks of life. Among them was the Somerville High School Dance Club.

“Martin Luther King is a great influence and I believe that I wouldn’t have the great opportunity to be here with a bunch of my friends today if it wasn’t for him and his legacy that he carries on until today,” dancer Eduardo Da Silva told SNN.

Even though they were born decades after King’s death, the young singers of the Center for Arabic Culture Children’s Choir also felt moved by his legacy.

“He marched and in a very powerful way, so I feel like that’s what I want to do someday,” said Yvette.

“He didn’t fight for freedom; he used words and marched. I like that he did it peacefully,” Luciane added.

The essays read by high schoolers were one of the most moving moments in the celebration, especially eleventh-grader Joshua Ojo’s letter to the late Reverend.

“I believe that it is our civic duty to promote peace and tranquilly, because you see, my friend, there is a prize at the end of this journey, and like the song once said,” Ojo read, and then broke into song: “’Keep your eyes on the prize…’”

After event, Ojo talked about what Martin Luther King Jr. Day meant for him.

“I felt like it was a great opportunity for me to give my voice and share my story,” he told SNN. “But we still face a lot of issues, so his dream and his values are still carried within me, they are going to [be] carried within me as I go along in my life.”

“Somerville is the most diverse city in New England, I would have to say,” Ojo added. “Somerville High School has Asians, Africa-Americans, whites, Hispanics, it’s a really diverse school and being able to communicate with all those different kinds of students – my best friend is white, my other best friend is Hispanic – so, being able to communicate like that, it just embodies the vision and the goals that he had.”