Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: A Day On

As we honor the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Westridge Director of Equity Ian Tatum reminds us that the day is meant as a day "ON"—a day to serve, reflect, and recommit to equity, justice, and human dignity. "This holiday invites us to remember his words and to examine our lives, our choices, and our responsibility to one another," said Tatum. 

In the Upper School, Student Voices leaders and the Black Student Union affinity group co-hosted a "More Than Style: Fashion as Resistance" assembly to celebrate the holiday. The students highlighted how fashion has long served as a powerful form of expression and protest, tapping on the expertise of Io Hawk—costume designer for Westridge Theatre—for the historical context and guidance to research how fashion could be a deliberate call for resistance and change. They spoke about and shared context for fashion including "Sunday's Best" and church hats; the Black Panther Party movement and its uniforms; and dandyism. The clothing affirmed identity, fostered cultural belonging, and often symbolized resistance and empowerment within Black Civil Rights Movement—much of which is referenced in modern fashion.