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Students representing CAAP, Cultural Awareness at Portsmouth Abbey, prepared a special presentation for the School on Monday, January 19, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Peace Prize winner and slain U.S. civil rights leader.
The assembly opened with Mr. Cliff Hobbins stating that Dr. King was "the definition of courage" and that "he did enormous good, not only for African-Americans but for all Americans."
Members of CAAP then took turns recounting key events during the American Civil Rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s, describing the quiet courage and peaceful resilience of Dr.
King and the many men, women and young adults who stood against government authorities in their determined, yet non-violent, efforts to end racial segregation and discrimination.Excerpts were shown of a documentary about Dr. King's life, the March on Washington, Bloody Sunday and the 1964-64 Montgomery Bus Boycott. Students spoke of sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, and King's famed "I Have a Dream" and "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speeches. They also included remembrances of people who helped define the Civil Rights Movement and the rights of all, including Rosa Parks, Emmett Till, Malcolm X, Nelson Mandela, and the Tuskegee Airmen.Maya Angelou's iconic poem, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," was recited by Lily Ross; Rajahnah Matra sang "When You Believe;" and Victor Florescu accompanied Sophia Diodati on the guitar as she concluded the assembly with a stirring rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come."
CAAP participants (performers and stage crew) included: Kai Smith '15; Frank Loughran '15; Dean Bessey '15; Lily Ross '18; Ella Souvannavong '18; Rajahnah Matra '16; Yufeng Wu '15; Andrew Fonts '17; Lauryn Harper '18; Sophia Diodati '15; Victor Florescu '15; and Fen Billings '15.Thanks to them all.
View videos of the 2015 Martin Luther King Assembly:
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings": http://youtu.be/p7hZZCMye6Q
"A Change is Gonna Come": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtSulpKInN4