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By Darryl Gangloff

Hotchkiss commemorated Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 20 with a full day of activities under the theme “Women of the Movement.” Programming illuminated the critical roles of women in shaping the Civil Rights Movement and advancing social justice today.

New York Times bestselling author Anna Malaika Tubbs, Ph.D. kicked off the festivities with an All-School keynote address about her book, The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation. 

Daymyen Tyler Layne, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, welcomed students to Walker Auditorium for the keynote and talked about unsung heroes. “To speak of women of the movement is to speak of the architects—those who shaped and built and bore the weight of the struggle while rarely being afforded the recognition of leadership,” he said. “Today, let us listen, let us reflect, but more than that, afterward, let us act. Because to honor these women is not simply to remember them, but it is to continue their fight.”

Head of School Craig W. Bradley then told the crowd that Martin Luther King Jr. Day is important for many reasons. “It is a day during which we study the past, contemplate the present, and consider opportunities to change the future,” he said. “And this year, as we commemorate 50 years of coeducation at Hotchkiss, it is a day during which we will pay particular attention to the roles women have played historically and will play in the future as our nation and the world continue on an imperfect path toward genuine equity and inclusion for all.”

Bradley then introduced Tubbs, who discussed the research process for her book. “With every piece of information I found, it became obvious that these three men followed in the footsteps of their mothers—Berdis Baldwin, Alberta King, and Louise Little,” she said.

Tubbs said she is often told that her idea to write The Three Mothers was “so creative.” She disagrees with that statement. “I truly believe someone else should have thought to write this book long before me, and it saddens me that this wasn’t the case because the erasure of mothers and Black women is so common.”

She told students that their unique experiences and voices matter. “If there is a story you believe needs to be told, please know you can be the one to tell it,” she said. “You each have the ability to actively participate in shaping our collective knowledge by simply asking who is being forgotten, why we are being told a certain story and not another one, and how do we each play a role in disrupting the status quo and creating more inclusivity?”

Students then participated in a variety of workshops led by faculty members, ranging from writing poetry to learning about African food, history, and culture. Students also hosted community service programs for children and adults from surrounding towns, including sports clinics, a STEM project for girls, a lantern-building activity, a dance class, and a powerful letter-writing campaign for Ukrainian prisoners of war led by Hotchkiss students from Ukraine.

“Many of the people held by Russians are oppressed on a daily basis. The letters we wrote are meant to provide them with a glimpse of hope,” said Ukrainian student Oleh Shtunder ’25. “I believe in the crucial impact those letters have on the lives of many POWs. Personally, writing to those poor people was much harder than anything else I have written in my life. It was really inspiring to see so many members of the local community join us.”

Henry Shattuck '25 led the lantern-building activity, and he thanked Caroline Kenny Burchfield '77, P'08,'10,'18, director of community partnerships, for her guidance. "Working with Mrs. Burchfield, I have developed a love for these types of workshops," he said. "I think giving kids the opportunity to build things with their hands and use their imaginations is really exciting, especially when the result is something they can take home and be proud of. As always, it was a joy to work with our local students, some of whom I've met in the past, and thanks to our amazing assistants, I think we were able to lead a really fun event."

In the afternoon, students enjoyed lunch with their advisory groups and attended an afternoon film festival featuring movies like Selma and Hidden Figures. The day ended with Hotchkiss students sharing their experiences together.