In January of 2014, this space noted the 20^th anniversary of the first all-school observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in 1994. Three years earlier, the school celebrated MLK Day for the first time.  

from The Bridge, vol. 22, no. 7; pp. 1, 4;  (January 18, 1991).

            In an atmosphere of peace, reflection, and slight apprehension, about 200 members of Northfield Mount Hermon School and the surrounding communities interested in Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. beliefs gathered in the Mount Hermon Memorial Chapel last Sunday, first for a service of commemoration and rededication at 11 a.m. and later for a “Gospel Explosion” at 2.

            This is the first year that services were held to honor Dr. King even though this is an important holiday in many states.

            While the programs were primarily in honor of the late Dr. King, there were a few references to the issue of possible war in the Persian Gulf. Many have noted the irony of the date set by President Bush by which Iraqi President Saddam Hussein must remove his troops or face military action from the United States…

            At the service of commemoration, the audience listened to five NMH student speakers from the class of ’91. The topics ranged from the book of Revelation in the Bible to an excerpt from a letter which Dr. King wrote from the Birmingham jail.

            Melton Beauvais spoke from the book of Revelation and Letitia Devonish read an excerpt from Dr. King’s book Black and White Together. Shezi gave the Litany of Remembrance, a dialogue between him and the congregation, about King’s beliefs.

Shezi stated at one point, “King envisioned a nation where injustice and hatred could be conquered through nonviolence and love,” and was answered by the audience, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”

Sarah Brewster reflected upon her experiences of a visit to cities in the South where the civil rights movement occurred in the 1960s…

Music was prominent in the service with the singing of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” “Amazing Grace,” and “We Shall Overcome,” with the accompaniment and solos of organist Joe Elliott. Wendy Sue Walker, NMH’s Director of Cross-Cultural Development, sang and played the piano accompaniment to “Do You Know Freedom?” a gospel song which she composed four years ago. Encouraged by the clapping and the chanting of one line, the congregation joined towards the end.

The congregation did a lot of joining in [during] the 2:00 program, as well. The celebration of Martin Luther King’s birthday continued with the “Gospel Explosion,” a performance by four religious musical groups, all from Massachusetts and Connecticut. The groups, Genesis, Evening Star, New Creation, and the featured Spiritual Souls are fairly well-known throughout the gospel world. New Creation and Spiritual Souls have released two albums each. New Creation consists of musicians only 11-25 years old. This group and Spiritual Souls have toured throughout the country spreading their faith and feeling.

About 75 attended [the second] event, the first such to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday, a controversial but important holiday in many states. The commencement oft his observation was spurred by a dream that both Chaplain Virginia Brooks and Wendy Sue Walker had. They hope this event will continue in the years to come with [a greater] number of participating members of the community. Mrs. Brooks feels that this event brings a diverse audience which “should be the way to celebrate Dr. King’s birthday.” Another major contributor to this event was Denise Marie Gore, a gospel announcer in Springfield. She coordinated the groups for the NMH celebration and organizes other communal gatherings, usually performances like the “Gospel Explosion,” every week in the Springfield area.