Students and families celebrate King

Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” CVUSD students echoed this statement at the 4th Annual MLK Jr. Day Celebration on Jan. 15 at the CFA.

The celebration began with student speakers, with students ranging from fifth to 12th grade sharing what they have learned from King. Diego DeLaRosa, Naomi Melak and Jaylin McCombs represented CVHS together with a speech about how the issues MLK addressed are still relevant.

“The issues Martin Luther King addressed over half a century ago are still heavily present and have not been rectified,” said Melak.

They continued to talk about how new voting requirements, which on the surface seem harmless, in reality are often used to suppress POC voters.

“Voter suppression laws have been more rampant than ever, as 19 states have enacted 34 different laws that suppress one’s ability to vote,” Melak explained. “Things like voting by mail, new voter ID requirements and limits on the measures officials can take to help voter access may seem like minor things but when in play they tend to affect communities of color the most.”

Afterwards, speaker Tyson Amir from the Freedom Soul Media Initiative took the stage. He discussed how MLK’s family and support system around him aren’t talked about as much as they need to be, and how important it is to create a similar one for the youth today.

“The youth are here, the youth are listening, the youth are observing, the youth are learning,” concluded Amir.