Honoring the Legacy of Dr. King

January 23, 2026

At Cate, our history of honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has always been framed as a day on, rather than a day off. It is an ongoing inquiry into how we move closer to the idea of Beloved Community. This year also marks a personal milestone for me as it is the fifth year I have had the privilege of helping to shape this program, and the 30th in the School’s history. I want to note that continuity matters, and to recognize growth as a collective achievement rather than a finished product.

Over the past five years, our themes have traced an intentional arc. We began by centering Black Joy at Cate, affirming hope even in the face of adversity. We returned again to the vision of Beloved Community, grounding ourselves in relationships and the ties that bind. We examined The Power of Protest: From King to Hip-Hop, honoring resistance as both historical and evolving in all of its art forms. Last year, we chose to Break Bread in Community, recognizing that the act of sharing meals and stories is itself a declaration of love.

This year, inspired in part by our collective reading of Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), we turn our attention to The Power of Words: How Language, Story, and Voice Inspire Change. We are living in real time, the ways that language can be used to control, distort, or erase. Our theme gives us the opportunity to look to Dr. King’s example of using words to bridge divides and to call forth what he named a “new order of justice.” Words shape whose experiences are believed, whose histories are centered, and whose futures are imagined.

Our school motto, Servons (“Let us serve”), is a call to action that requires us to use our agency and our voices for the common good. In this sense, service is not only a physical act; it is the deliberate choice to speak with care, to listen with intention, and to affirm the inherent dignity of every person in this community.

As we continue the tradition of honoring Dr. King’s legacy, I invite you to reflect on how your own story brought you here, and what change you are being called to inspire. I hope the lessons learned and the conversations shared are experiences that you will carry beyond your time at Cate.