Young Spartans Inspired to Lead the Way on MLK Day

On a federal holiday when many Americans were given the day off, Spartans arrived on The Hill ready to be inspired and energized by the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The goal of what St. Stephen’s traditionally refers to as a “day on” was to learn about ways students can carry out important civil rights and social justice work in their own lives. This year’s theme of “Creating Community” amplifies the larger objective of unifying and growing together to continue forwarding the school's mission and commitment to honoring and respecting the dignity of all humans.

Students kicked off the day by picking up customized t-shirts that matched the day’s theme printed across the front of the shirt, along with a picture of Dr. King. One of Dr. King’s memorable quotes was inscribed on the back of the shirt: “Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.”

The SSES community spent the day rotating through a series of guest speakers and performers.

Visiting St. Stephen’s from Los Angeles, California, Keynote speaker Shernice Lazare led a morning parent session and later presented to students in Chapel. The theme of her talk focused on human dignity and creating community. Lazare is currently the founding Head of DEIB for Citizens of the World, Los Angeles and is a consultant and equity facilitator for Pollyanna, an organization that works to build stronger and kinder communities.

She previously spent nearly three decades as an educator, and later joined the UCLA Lab School and UCLA Center X and led staff professional development and equity-based leadership. 

During her presentation with both parents and students, Lazare led her talk with a short video clip that featured St. Stephen’s founder the Rev. Rt. John Hines being interviewed by a reporter about the immediate backlash the school faced after becoming the first integrated boarding school in the South. 

“The week after we successfully integrated St. Stephen’s Episcopal School, I had three telephone calls from three different people and in that week St. Stephen’s school lost $750,000 from these three people who never again contributed a dollar to St. Stephen’s school…when the chips are down and the issues have to do with human life, justice and love, somebody’s got to pay the cost and if you’re going to be this kind of person you’ve got to be prepared to pay it,” said Bishop Hines. 

He also spoke about his reason behind marching with Dr. King in Selma, Alabama in 1965: to send a message that The Episcopal Church was concerned about the Black man and the white man and their conflicting points of view and status. He described being there as a “responsibility” that was also a “frightening experience” for which he had “no regrets.”

Lazare brought this piece of vital school history and legacy into perspective for the present day.

“How are we treating people with justice, with fairness, regardless of their identities, regardless of who they are, regardless of what neighborhood they live in, regardless of what language they speak?” asked Lazare. “No matter who you are, no matter who you were born to and in what country — you have the right to be treated fairly.”

She also asked the room: “When was the last time you advocated for someone who wasn’t in your family? Who didn’t have the same levels of privilege or access, to create a community of dignity.”

Lazare encouraged the audiences to be more curious than certain — enter into conversations with questions, don’t just jump straight to thinking you know the answer. She explained that this goes hand-in-hand with being a good listener and respecting other people’s choices, even when you don’t agree with them. Her closing challenge for the SSES community was, “What area can you start working on today?” 

Students packed into the stands in Clayton Gym to listen to Austin native and United States Air Force veteran Alex Porter share about his fascinating past, including what life was like as the first Texas African American Special Agent for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and United States Department of Justice (DOJ). He told students his favorite role with the FBI was working undercover operations, and also recalled a time when they refused to assign him to a region north of the Mason-Dixon line because of the color of his skin. 

He also attended Huston-Tillotson College in Austin in 1962, attended and graduated from the University of Texas School of Law and became the first African American Technologist to work at the Travis County Blood Bank.

Another session later in the day featured Dr. Sameer Yadav, an associate professor of religion at Baylor University who is currently co-authoring a book entitled “God and Race,” told students there is no better time than now for youth activism. 

His talk also highlighted what he called three major societal issues that students can address now: racism, poverty and war, and expanded on these to include broader forms of bigotry, economic inequality, healthcare equality and various forms of violence, including police brutality. He cited examples like the Black Lives Matter movement and spoke about a young Indian girl who successfully advocated for climate change and clean-up efforts at the Taj Mahal. 

“The youth activism culture is thriving,” Dr. Yadav told students. “The question is whether you will participate in it.”

The award-winning University of Texas at Austin student dance company, Dance Repertory Theatre, were overflowing with energy as students walked in the Helm auditorium. They invited students and faculty to “create community” and dance with them in the aisles. Their mesmerizing performance included new choreography that centers around the spirit of the cypher. Cypher is a unique dance performance that weaves through distinct dance styles including ballet, modern, hip-hop, African, and ballroom to create space for a sense of community and catharsis.

The Christopher D. Spivey & Company returned this year to perform during Chapel services throughout the day’s programming. This Austin-based dynamic group of soulful singers had students and faculty on their feet  clapping their hands to the beat of  uplifting praise and worship songs. It was the perfect crescendo to the day. 

Before leaving Chapel, St. Stephen’s Middle School Athletic Director & Girls Basketball Program Director Dustin Armstrong summarized the intentions of the day with these closing remarks: 

 

“Today we explored many ways to build community, from reflecting on the past, imagining a brighter future to dance, music and our conversations. It's been a meaningful day honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose courage and vision transformed the world we live in today.

 

The legacy of Dr. King calls for each of us to take action, reminding us that justice and love are the cornerstones of every strong and of a very strong and inclusive community. The work doesn't stop here, y'all.

 

What matters most is how we make, how we take what we've learned today from all of our guests and apply it in our daily lives. 

 

I remember when a teammate of mine stood up because they were struggling, and I thought about it. I really thought about it. What can I do to make a difference? I stood up for that young man, and it wasn't easy.

 

I see a lot of that at our school, people standing up. It was a difficult first step and I realized that staying silent just wasn't gonna happen, right? It’s hard taking that first step. Do it. Create the change. Dr. King's life is proof that we can do it, y'all.

 

How will you treat others? How will you stand up for what's right? How will you use your unique voice to make a difference? What trouble will you make?

 

As we leave here today, let's carry the reminder of Dr. King. Everybody can be great because anybody can serve. Greatness is within your reach. It starts with small acts of kindness, inclusion and courage.”

 

To learn more about the speakers and performers who were part of St. Stephen’s MLK Day 2025 click here.