Milton Hershey School Cultural Diversity Club Celebrates Leadership and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

During the Cultural Diversity Club meeting in January, students gathered to learn about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and discuss how his work and leadership continue to resonate today. Using Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech as inspiration, students created their own posters to illustrate their dreams and what they envision for their futures.

Ejih Jones-Jenkins, an MHS junior and current president of the Cultural Diversity Club, designed his dream board to include images of interracial interactions and Black people in sports because, as he described, it is through Dr. King’s leadership and example that these connections are possible today.

“Martin Luther King Jr. still impacts the world today and activities like allow us to show the ways we are working to keep his ‘dream’ alive,” explained Ejih.

Fellow classmate Zubayr Young used the activity to explore the traits of leaders like Dr. King and other civil rights activists and how he may be able to emulate them in his own life.

“It’s important to know the great leaders that came before us. If it was not for them, we wouldn’t be here right now,” said Zubayr. “They showed us the power of endurance, leadership, and inspiration—all things that we as students can aspire to also have.”

The Cultural Diversity Club provides a space for students to come together and talk openly about diversity and their own experiences, while allowing students to learn about and explore different cultures. The dream board activity helps them realize that they are not alone and have a community supporting them as they achieve their goals.

“Students are working on Breakthrough goals in their student homes this year in alignment with the school year theme,” explained Angel LeGrand, staff moderator of the Cultural Diversity Club. “This activity provides a physical representation of what they are working toward and keeps them motivated on long term goals.”

The dream board activity is just one example of how this student-led club is opening the dialogue for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Earlier this school year, students acknowledged Hispanic Heritage Month with a guest dance instructor who taught the group how to tango, and over the holidays, the club members presented on other cultures and tasted food and snacks to learn more about celebrations around the world.