Dreams live on by celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The famous “I Have A Dream” speech rang long and hard in the community’s ears on January 20, 2025. President Ronald Reagan established Martin Luther King Day as an official holiday on November 2, 1983, and it was first celebrated three years later. Now, 38 years later, all 50 states celebrate the life and accomplishments of the slain Civil Rights leader. After many years of celebrating at UW Oshkosh, this year was the first annual public remembrance of King to be held at Vel Phillips Memorial Middle School. OASD director of community engagement and equity Anthony Miller played a key role in making this event possible for the community. Miller noticed the lack of recognition for the holiday in Oshkosh and wanted to give the public an engaging and inspiring event that would bring light to an important, historical figure. 

“We saw that there was a need in the community, and we thought that we were perfectly situated to be able to bring this type of event to our community,” he said.

Assistant superintendent Dr. Sam Coleman also played a vital role in helping this event come to life. He felt that students and staff having a day off for the holiday allowed them to come together as a community and recognize King’s message and influence. 

“I think we acknowledged that we had a date off for Dr. King, and we saw this as an opportunity to do something meaningful with that day off,” he said. “We thought that this was a really important way to use this day to bring students together, bring the community together, bring faculty together, and to spend some time reflecting on Dr. King’s dream together.” 

The district started the event off with a complimentary breakfast along with music from the Oshkosh North jazz band. The music was followed by an introductory speech from Superintendent Dr. Bryan Davis, and a student address from West’s Black Student Union president Micah Troedel. Vel Phillips’ eighth-grade choir then sang “Keep Your Lamps” before the recognition of the Martin Luther King essay contest winners. Over 100 essays were submitted this year by elementary, middle, and high school students, each given different prompts. 1st place won $75 from the district, 2nd won $50, and 3rd won $25. All three winners at the high school level were students from West. In first place was junior Aria Boehler, in second, junior Kymani Stephen, and in third, senior Jazmine Blustin. Blustin felt it was important to spread King’s ideas and received some welcome motivation from her English teacher. 

“I decided to write an essay because it means a lot to me to get the message of equity across,” she said. “Also, Mr. [Trent] Scott was highly encouraging and thought it was a good opportunity for us to showcase our writing.”

Boehler agrees and believes it’s crucial to continue King’s mission, as well as recognize all of the problems he was trying to aid. 

“I think that it’s important to make sure that we are still working to achieve the vision that MLK had for the future to make sure that we aren’t complacent,” she said. “Thinking critically about these issues and thinking deeply is what the essay gets you to do. That’s really why I chose to do it.” 

Boehler truly wants to make a difference, not only in her community but around the world. She has made the choice not to take the money she won for herself, but to donate to an organization that she agrees with. 

“Oshkosh West gave me 200 dollars and the district gave me 75, so I’m planning on donating the money to the nonprofit organization Sepozambia, which is dedicated to education and progress in Zambia and northeastern Wisconsin,” she said. “I think that really supports the visions of progress and justice that Dr. King had.” 

This essay also gives writers more knowledge about Dr. King, making them informed and involved in the issues he talked about. Boehler feels she gained more of an understanding of King while writing her essay, and she got to spread her opinions and ideas through her writing. Boehler encourages other students to submit an essay if they are passionate about King’s movement. 

“It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with the works of Dr. King,” she said. “I spent a lot of time reading sermons and essays that he wrote, so that was insightful. I also think that it’s a great way to get involved in the community to share your voice. I think that people often don't think about how much power they have and if you think you have writing skills or if you’re just trying to become a better writer, that’s a great way to use your voice to get your ideas out there.” 

Second place winner Stephen also thinks that the essay gives an opportunity to learn about the activist, outside of what students may learn in school. 

“Students aren't sensitive to the significance behind the figure of MLK,” he said. “Yes, he was an activist that had a dream; but beyond that if one was asked about his achievements, and how it contributed to society I’m not sure if a definitive answer could always be provided. Presenting opportunities to take the journey of learning more could offer students the opportunity to gain knowledge on the significance of history beyond the classroom.”

Blustin feels the essay gave her an opportunity to write something she wouldn't normally be able to in class. She got to write about her opinions and didn’t have to stick to a tight prompt. 

“It’s a very different style of writing than what we normally do in school and it allows you to write with more of a purpose than when you're writing an essay about a book you read,” she said. “I feel like you can just be really straightforward with what you want to get across.”

English teacher Kristian Weber believes this essay contest motivates students to make a change in their community and educates them on the works of Dr. King.

“I think it inspires students to take action and is an important part of their education,” she said. “Taking the time to really consider that to create and craft an essay that inspires others to do the same is something of quality.”

The event continued with a keynote address from Dr. Coleman, where he talked about Dr. King's not-so-well-known ideas. He mentioned Dr. King's ideas of integration, when King said, “We have fought long and hard for integration and I believe we should have, and I know that we will win. But I’ve come to believe that we are integrating into a burning house. Until we commit ourselves to ensuring that the underclass is given justice and opportunity we will continue to perpetuate our anger and violence that tears at the soul of this nation. I fear I'm integrating my people into a burning house.” 

King’s remarks prompted Coleman to reflect.

“But he had this realization that if black people can live in the same neighborhoods as white people but not experience the joys of that community, does it matter?” he said. “If black children can attend the same schools as white children but not experience the educational benefits that all children experience there, does it matter that we are integrated? If we sell simply for integration, we’ve missed the mark.” 

Coleman connected his ideas from his speech to the problems that the OASD is facing now. He believes the school system needs more opportunities for minority groups. For Coleman, inclusivity is highly important for providing opportunities. 

“I think access to opportunity is an important problem and as I shared in my keynote, Dr. King's dream was not just about integration and inclusion,” he said. “I think as a system of schools and as a community, this is an inclusive place but when we think about who gets to access opportunities and who gets to experience the very best of this system, that’s when we begin to have a clear picture of what our efforts need to be focused on.”

Coleman knows the school system should do a better job of allowing all their students to get the full experience in their education.

“I think that as far as access to advanced placement classes and access to experiences both in the school system and also in our community, I think it’s important that more of our students across identity differences get to experience the very best of what this district has to offer,” he said. 

The day ended with closing remarks from Miller, who feels students need as much support as they can get, and that creating as many resources as possible for students to succeed is imperative. 

“This event has exceeded my expectations, as I prepared for these closing remarks I started to really think about the thing being our collective responsibility for social progress and social justice,” he said. “I started to think about, ‘What does that mean from a school perspective, from a classroom perspective? I thought about how important it is for us to create the environment and make it virtually impossible for our students to fail and from a community perspective, just thought about the ways we need to continue to identify supports and resources that we can continue to wrap around our students.”

by Tenna Ruetten

Published February 3rd, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 121 Issue IV